# zerobrew

> MIT/Apache-2.0 Rust client for Homebrew packages — uv-style store, much faster installs

**Category:** DevOps  
**Pricing:** open-source  
**URL:** https://zerobrew.rs  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/zerobrewhq/zerobrew  
**Added:** 2026-10-08

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## The Hook

zerobrew (`zb`) brings uv-style architecture to Homebrew packages on macOS and Linux: same homebrew-core formulas and bottles, but a content-addressable store, APFS clonefiles, and parallel download-and-unpack — so reinstalls and fresh machines stop waiting on brew.

## What's Good

Dual-licensed Apache-2.0 or MIT (zerobrewhq/zerobrew), written in Rust. Release v0.4.0 (2026-10-08) ships binaries for macOS and Linux on arm64 and x64; install via `curl -fsSL https://zerobrew.rs/install | bash` or `brew install zerobrewhq/zerobrew/zerobrew`. Familiar verbs: `zb install`, `zb bundle` (Brewfile), `zb outdated`, `zb upgrade`, `zb gc`, and `zbx` to run without linking. Benchmarks are published with scripts and logs in the repo, and a CI parity workflow compares installed prefixes against Homebrew byte for byte. ★~7.6k.

## The Catch

The project calls itself experimental and recommends running it alongside Homebrew, not replacing it — do not purge brew. It depends on Homebrew’s formulas, bottles, and infrastructure; it is a faster client, not a new package ecosystem. Cold-install gains shrink on slow links (downloads dominate big bottles), and the “100x” headline is the warm-cache case. Vs mise (runtime version manager): zerobrew installs Homebrew packages, it does not pin language toolchains per project.

## Verdict

MIT/Apache Rust Homebrew client when brew installs are your CI or new-laptop bottleneck — run it next to brew, not instead of it.