# zerobrew

> Experimental Homebrew-compatible package client for macOS and Linux that uses content-addressable storage and APFS clonefiles for faster installs.

Stars: 8.2k · Language: Rust · License: Apache-2.0 · Categories: System

- Repository: https://github.com/lucasgelfond/zerobrew
- Page: https://www.trmn.sh/tools/zerobrew

## Install

- Homebrew: `brew install zerobrewhq/zerobrew/zerobrew`
- Install script: `curl -fsSL https://zerobrew.rs/install | bash`

## Overview

zerobrew is a package manager client for the Homebrew ecosystem on macOS and Linux, applying a uv-style architecture to Homebrew packages. It uses Homebrew's formula definitions (homebrew-core), pre-built bottles, and package metadata, but replaces the install path with its own client, invoked as `zb`. It also falls back to source builds using Homebrew's Ruby DSL when no bottle is available.

The main differences from Homebrew are content-addressable storage for deduplication and APFS clonefiles for copying without data duplication. The README's benchmark of 98 packages on an M3 Pro MacBook showed a 3.0x overall speedup on cold installs and 4.5x on warm installs, with a median of 2.7x cold and 5.7x warm. Some packages showed little gain or were slower, such as llvm (1.1x cold) and go (0.85x cold). The benchmark can be reproduced with `just bench --full results/`.

The command set covers `zb install`, `zb uninstall`, `zb outdated`, `zb upgrade`, `zb reset`, and `zb gc` for garbage-collecting unused store entries. `zb bundle` installs from a Brewfile, and `zb bundle dump` exports installed packages to one. `zbx` runs a package without linking it, for example `zbx jq --version`. The project is labeled experimental, and the authors recommend running it alongside Homebrew rather than replacing it. It suits developers who install many Homebrew formulas and want faster installs.

### Installation

```bash
# via Homebrew
brew install zerobrewhq/zerobrew/zerobrew
```

```bash
# via Install script
curl -fsSL https://zerobrew.rs/install | bash
```

![zerobrew demo](https://media.trmn.sh/cached/55ca941db92efd56533e67e440d0083b719a866245553446c158c38de51e1577.gif)

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Canonical: https://www.trmn.sh/tools/zerobrew