install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install protoc-gen-grpc-java

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#protoc-gen-grpc-java

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/pr/protoc-gen-grpc-java/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Protoc plugin for gRPC Java

Project links

Commands and aliases

protoc-gen-grpc-java

history

Project history and usage

protoc-gen-grpc-java is the official gRPC Java plugin for protoc. It generates Java client stubs, server base types, method descriptors, and service descriptors from protobuf service definitions.

Project history

gRPC was publicly announced in 2015 and reached its 1.0 production milestone for Java, Go, and several other language implementations in August 2016.

protoc-gen-grpc-java is developed within grpc-java as the code-generation plugin that converts protobuf service definitions into Java gRPC interfaces. The official compiler documentation describes both precompiled distribution and building the native generator from source.

Adoption history

Java was one of the gRPC implementations declared production-ready with gRPC 1.0 in August 2016. The milestone announcement described existing use across open-source infrastructure and commercial deployments.

Precompiled protoc-gen-grpc-java executables are published for common platforms, and Java builds often resolve the generator through Maven or Gradle integrations. Homebrew and Nix availability in source_facts.package-manager also supports direct command-line use.

How it is used

Invoke protoc with the plugin available on PATH or specify it explicitly with --plugin, then pass --grpc-java_out for the output directory. The lite option generates bindings suited to protobuf-lite environments. Maven, Gradle, and Bazel builds commonly automate generator resolution and invocation. The executable has no documented persistent configuration or credentials file.

Why package nerds care

The plugin is a native protoc executable even though its output targets Java, so build tooling must select a binary matching the build host rather than the Java runtime target.

Its separation from protobuf's Java message generator exposes the two-stage nature of gRPC builds: protobuf generates messages, while protoc-gen-grpc-java generates service base classes and stubs. Build-system plugins commonly coordinate both artifacts.

Timeline

2015: gRPC was publicly announced.
2016: gRPC 1.0 declared the Java implementation production-ready.
Subsequent grpc-java releases have continued publishing the generator alongside the Java runtime libraries.

Related projects

protoc and the Java protobuf generator produce message classes alongside the service code.
grpc-java provides the API, stub, protobuf integration, and transports used by generated sources.
The protobuf Gradle plugin can resolve and invoke protoc-gen-grpc-java as a build artifact.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 3 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`protoc-gen-grpc-java`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-09-19

manager version1.84.0

manager updated2026-09-14

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.83.1

https://github.com/grpc/grpc-java

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:protoc-gen-grpc-java
Version	1.84.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/protoc-gen-grpc-java
Homepage	https://grpc.io/docs/languages/java/
Repository	https://github.com/grpc/grpc-java
Upstream docs	https://grpc.io/docs/languages/java/
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/grpc/grpc-java/archive/refs/tags/v1.83.1.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-14T13:44:11+02:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	abseil, protobuf
Build dependencies	gradle@8, openjdk, pkgconf
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	protoc-gen-grpc-java
Version Scheme	0
Revision	3
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

protoc-gen-grpc-java

nix profile install nixpkgs#protoc-gen-grpc-java

normalized package name match
Matched by: Protoc Gen Grpc Java

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/pr/protoc-gen-grpc-java/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/protoc-gen-grpc-java.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install protoc-gen-grpc-java with Homebrew, Nix