# Install nutcracker with Homebrew, apt Proxy for memcached and redis. Version 0.5.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install nutcracker. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:nutcracker ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nutcracker ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install nutcracker ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: nutcracker from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nutcracker - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.5.0 - **Source summary:** Proxy for memcached and redis - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-19T12:32:40-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-04T22:13:35+00:00 ## Executables - nutcracker (cli) - test_all (cli) - nutcracker (alias) - test_all (alias) ## Dependencies - libyaml ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake - libtool ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-04 - Package-manager version: 0.5.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/twitter/twemproxy - Upstream latest detected: 0.5.0 (current) ## Project history and usage Nutcracker is the Homebrew formula name for Twitter's twemproxy, a small C proxy for memcached and Redis protocols. Twitter's README describes it as built to reduce backend cache-server connection counts, with pipelining and sharding used to scale distributed cache architectures. ### Project history The public changelog records a twemproxy 0.1.16 release on 2012-02-09, when the project was described as a fast, lightweight proxy for the memcached protocol. Redis support was visible to the Redis community by late 2012, when Salvatore Sanfilippo wrote about Twitter's proxy as a practical sharding layer before Redis Cluster was available. ### Adoption history twemproxy's package-nerd role was strongest in the early Redis and memcached scaling era: it let teams keep client libraries simple while putting consistent hashing, server pools, node ejection, and low backend connection counts in a separate process. Its Homebrew formula still exists as `nutcracker`/`twemproxy`, but Homebrew analytics on 2026-07-01 showed only 25 installs over 365 days, so the package-manager footprint is now mostly maintenance and legacy operations rather than new mainstream adoption. ### How it is used Operators run the `nutcracker` daemon with a YAML configuration that defines one or more pools, listen addresses, hash/distribution choices, Redis mode, timeouts, and backend servers. Common production patterns are to run multiple proxy instances for availability and to decide explicitly whether failed backend ejection is acceptable for cache use or whether a fixed key-to-server map is required. ### Why package nerds care Nutcracker matters historically because it captures a pre-native-cluster moment in Redis/memcached operations: sharding was often pushed into clients or a lightweight proxy, and Homebrew/Debian/Ubuntu packaging made the proxy easy to install for local testing and operations scripts. ### Timeline - 2012-02-09: twemproxy 0.1.16 appears in the project changelog as a lightweight memcached proxy release. - 2012-12-18: Redis creator Salvatore Sanfilippo publishes a detailed note on twemproxy's Redis sharding behavior and operational tradeoffs. - 2026-07-01: Homebrew lists `nutcracker` stable 0.5.0 revision 1, with `twemproxy` as an alias. ### Related projects - Redis Cluster - Redis Sentinel - memcached ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: conf/nutcracker.yml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** nutcracker - **Aliases:** twemproxy - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - nutcracker - 0.5.0+dfsg-2+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: nutcracker from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Fast, light-weight proxy for memcached and Redis | https://github.com/twitter/twemproxy - Ubuntu apt - nutcracker - 0.5.0+dfsg-2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: nutcracker from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Fast, light-weight proxy for memcached and Redis | https://github.com/twitter/twemproxy ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://pkg.so/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://pkg.so/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://pkg.so/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Database and data packages](https://pkg.so/database-data-tools/) - Matched database, SQL, migration, or data-store metadata. - [libtool](https://pkg.so/brew/libtool/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://pkg.so/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://pkg.so/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [sing-box](https://pkg.so/brew/sing-box/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [proxychains-ng](https://pkg.so/brew/proxychains-ng/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [envoy](https://pkg.so/brew/envoy/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [mihomo](https://pkg.so/brew/mihomo/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [libproxy](https://pkg.so/brew/libproxy/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [privoxy](https://pkg.so/brew/privoxy/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [shadowsocks-libev](https://pkg.so/brew/shadowsocks-libev/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [shadowsocks-rust](https://pkg.so/brew/shadowsocks-rust/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, networking, proxy. - [archgw](https://pkg.so/brew/archgw/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, libyaml, networking, proxy. - [connect](https://pkg.so/brew/connect/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, networking, proxy. - [ctrld](https://pkg.so/brew/ctrld/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, networking, proxy. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nutcracker.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/nutcracker.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - pkgdb category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph