spin
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Description:
Efficient verification tool of multi-threaded software
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: model-checking formal-verification concurrency debugging testing
Install: brew install spin
About:
Spin is a model checker for verifying concurrent software systems, particularly multi-threaded and distributed applications. It designs specifications as finite-state machines and exhaustively checks for logic errors like deadlocks and race conditions. Its primary value is ensuring correctness in critical systems through automated formal verification.
Key Features:
  • Promela language for specifying concurrent systems
  • On-the-fly verification using partial order reduction
  • Generates efficient C code for simulation and verification
  • Supports LTL (Linear Temporal Logic) for property specification
Use Cases:
  • Verifying correctness of embedded control systems
  • Debugging complex multi-threaded algorithms
  • Validating communication protocols
Alternatives:
  • TLA+ – Higher-level specification language with TLC model checker, better for distributed system design
  • CBMC – Bounded model checker for C programs, works directly on source code rather than abstract models
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 15, 2025 9:24am 0 VERSION_BUMP 987df8e6
Sep 13, 2024 9:13pm 0 VERSION_BUMP bdfedec0