# Install avro-c with Homebrew, Nix, apt Data serialization system. Version 1.12.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install avro-bin. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:avro-c ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install avro-c ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#avro-c ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/av/avro-c/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install avro-bin ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: avro-bin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:avro-c - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.12.1 - **Source summary:** Data serialization system - **Homepage:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - avroappend (alias) - avrocat (alias) - avromod (alias) - avropipe (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.12.1 ## Project history and usage Avro C is the C implementation and command-line tooling slice of Apache Avro, Apache's schema-based data serialization system. In Homebrew it exposes utilities such as avrocat, avroappend, avropipe, and avromod for working with Avro object container files from a Unix shell. ### Project history Apache Avro's first official release was Avro 1.0.0 on July 15, 2010. The project was framed from the start as a serialization system with rich data structures, compact binary encoding, object container files, RPC support, and language bindings where code generation is optional rather than mandatory. The C implementation lives in the main Apache Avro repository rather than a separate project. That matters for packagers: language bindings, command-line tools, release artifacts, and the shared Avro specification move together under the Apache release process. ### Adoption history Avro became common in data-engineering environments because it carries schemas with serialized data and supports schema evolution. Apache's current project site describes Avro as a leading serialization format for record data and a first choice for streaming data pipelines, with implementations across JVM languages, Python, C/C++, C#, PHP, Ruby, Rust, JavaScript, and Perl. The C package is a practical packaging target for users who need small native tools or C library integration without pulling in the Java toolchain. On Unix package managers it fills the niche between the full Java avro-tools jar and embedding Avro support in larger data platforms. ### How it is used The C utilities are mostly file and stream tools: avrocat inspects or emits records, avroappend appends data to container files, avropipe moves Avro data through pipelines, and avromod edits Avro container metadata. They are useful in shell workflows where the Java avro-tools package would be heavier than necessary. There is no standard per-user configuration file or credential store for Avro C itself. Behavior is driven by schemas, Avro container metadata, command-line arguments, and application code using the C API. ### Why package nerds care For package nerds, avro-c is interesting because it is a native-library subpackage split out of a multi-language Apache project. It gives Homebrew, Nix, and Debian-style systems a way to install Avro's C ABI and CLI utilities without treating the whole project as a Java artifact. It also shows the awkward but useful boundary between data-format standards and language ecosystems: one upstream release, many language bindings, and multiple downstream formulas for the same specification. ### Timeline - 2010: Apache Avro 1.0.0 announced as the first Avro release. - 2021: Avro 1.11.0 released with 120 JIRA issues addressed. - 2024: Avro 1.12.0 released by the Apache Avro community. - 2025: Avro 1.12.1 listed as the latest Apache Avro release. ### Related projects - Apache Avro Java and avro-tools share the same upstream repository and specification. - Avro C++ is the neighboring native binding for C++ programs and code generation. - Apache Hadoop, Kafka-oriented data pipelines, and other record-processing systems are common consumers of Avro data, though they package their own integrations separately. ### Sources - - - - - - source_facts.executables ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - avro-bin - 1.12.0-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: avro-bin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Apache Avro C utilities (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org - Debian apt - libavro-dev - 1.12.0-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libavro-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Apache Avro C static library and headers (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org - Debian apt - libavro24 - 1.12.0-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libavro24 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Apache Avro C shared library (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org - Nix - avro-c: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/av/avro-c/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - avro-bin - 1.11.1-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: avro-bin from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Apache Avro C utilities (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org - Ubuntu apt - libavro-dev - 1.11.1-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libavro-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Apache Avro C static library and headers (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org - Ubuntu apt - libavro23 - 1.11.1-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libavro23 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Apache Avro C shared library (avro-c) | https://avro.apache.org ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/avro-c.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/avro-c.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph