zerobrew

Faster experimental Homebrew alternative written in Rust

TLDR

Install one or more packages

$ zb install [ripgrep] [jq]

Uninstall a package

$ zb uninstall [ripgrep]

Install packages from a Brewfile

$ zb bundle

Dump installed packages to a Brewfile

$ zb bundle dump

Run a package without linking it

$ zbx [jq] --version

Garbage collect unreferenced store entries

$ zb gc

Uninstall all packages (reset)

$ zb reset

SYNOPSIS

zb command [options]zbx package [arguments...]

zerobrew (`zb`) is a high-performance reimplementation of Homebrew that uses content-addressable storage and APFS clonefiles for zero-overhead copying, giving 5-20x faster installs than Homebrew on macOS. It leverages Homebrew's formula definitions and pre-built bottles, bringing a uv-style architecture to Homebrew packages.

PARAMETERS

install PACKAGE...

Install one or more packages.

uninstall PACKAGE...

Remove packages.

bundle

Install packages listed in a Brewfile.

bundle dump

Export installed packages to a Brewfile.

Garbage collect unused store entries.

reset

Uninstall all packages.

zbx

Run a package without creating system links.

CAVEATS

Experimental software; recommended to run alongside Homebrew rather than as a full replacement. Works primarily with bottles (pre-built binaries), not source builds. Best performance on macOS with APFS via clonefiles.

HISTORY

zerobrew was created by Lucas Gelfond (lucasgelfond) and is written in Rust.