zerobrew

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zerobrew brings uv-style architecture to Homebrew packages on macOS and Linux.

Install

curl -fsSL https://zerobrew.rs/install | bash

Or via Homebrew:

brew tap lucasgelfond/zerobrew && brew install zerobrew

After install, run the export command it prints (or restart your terminal).

Quick start

zb install jq                   # install one package
zb install wget git             # install multiple
zb bundle                       # install from Brewfile
zb bundle install -f myfile     # install from custom file
zb bundle dump                  # export installed packages to Brewfile
zb bundle dump -f out --force   # dump to custom file (overwrite)
zb uninstall jq                 # uninstall one package
zb reset                        # uninstall everything
zb gc                           # garbage collect unused store entries
zbx jq --version                # run without linking

Performance snapshot

Relationship with Homebrew

zerobrew is more of a performance-optimized client for the Homebrew ecosystem. We rely on:

• Homebrew's formula definitions (homebrew-core)
• Homebrew's pre-built bottles when available
• Homebrew's package metadata and infrastructure

Our innovations focus on:

• Content-addressable storage for deduplication
• APFS clonefiles for zero-overhead copying
• Source build fallback using Homebrew's Ruby DSL

zerobrew is experimental. We recommend running it alongside Homebrew rather than as a replacement, and do not recommend purging homebrew and replacing it with zerobrew unless you are absolutely sure about the implications of doing so.

Project status

• Status: Experimental, but already useful for many common Homebrew formulas.
• Feedback: If you hit incompatibilities, please open an issue or PR.
• License: Dual-licensed under Apache 2.0 OR MIT, at your choice.