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...]

DESCRIPTION

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.
gc
Garbage collect unused store entries.
reset
Uninstall all packages.
zbx
Run a package without creating system links.

INSTALL

yay -S zerobrew

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.

SEE ALSO

brew(1), nix(1)