nq ☆
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Description:
Unix command-line queue utility
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: queue cli utility job-control concurrency
Install: brew install nq
About:
Nq is a minimalist command-line queue that executes jobs sequentially, ensuring that only one job runs at a time. It leverages file locking to manage concurrency, making it ideal for simple, reliable task management without a heavy daemon. This utility is particularly useful for controlling resource usage or serializing operations in shell scripts.
Key Features:
  • Simple file-locking mechanism for concurrency control
  • No background daemon required
  • Lightweight and dependency-free
  • Integrates easily with standard Unix pipes and shell scripts
Use Cases:
  • Serializing access to a shared resource like a printer or database
  • Throttling background tasks to prevent system overload
  • Managing batch processing in cron jobs
Alternatives:
  • task-spooler – More feature-rich with job management commands, but nq is simpler and more lightweight.
  • GNU parallel – Designed for parallel execution of jobs, whereas nq is for serial execution.
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 16, 2025 4:13pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 0b7ad979
Sep 12, 2024 11:29am 0 VERSION_BUMP e2bda0c9
Jul 5, 2024 10:53pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 770eee98
Sep 29, 2023 4:10pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 58b42de0
Nov 26, 2022 4:53pm 0 VERSION_BUMP c445ca45
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