# Install avro-cpp with Homebrew, Nix

Data serialization system. Version 1.12.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#avro-cpp.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:avro-cpp
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install avro-cpp
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#avro-cpp
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/av/avro-cpp/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:avro-cpp
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.12.1
- **Source summary:** Data serialization system
- **Homepage:** <https://avro.apache.org/>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- avrogencpp (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 Apache Avro's C++ binding and code-generation package. In Homebrew it is the small native companion to the broader Avro project, centered on the avrogencpp executable and C++ API documentation.

### Project history

Apache Avro reached its first official release as Avro 1.0.0 in July 2010. Its design centered on a shared schema specification, binary encoding, object container files, and language bindings so data could move between systems without each implementation inventing its own wire format.

The C++ binding follows that multi-language model inside the main Apache Avro repository. It lets C++ programs use Avro records and schemas directly, while avrogencpp gives statically typed C++ projects generated code from Avro schemas.

### Adoption history

Avro adoption grew around data pipelines that need compact records and schema evolution. Apache's own site now positions Avro as a leading record serialization format and emphasizes streaming data pipelines, which explains why package managers keep separate language/runtime formulas.

The C++ package is most relevant where native services want Avro compatibility without a JVM runtime. It is less famous than avro-tools, but it matters in packaging because generated headers, libraries, and ABI concerns are different from shipping a Java jar.

### How it is used

Typical usage is schema-first: write or receive an Avro schema, generate C++ types with avrogencpp when useful, then serialize or deserialize records through the C++ library. For dynamic or inspection workflows, users often pair it with the separate Java or C command-line tools.

Avro C++ does not have a documented global config file or credential file. Schemas, generated code, and application-level settings are the practical configuration surface.

### Why package nerds care

avro-cpp is a good example of why one upstream project can produce several formulas. The source tree and release cadence are shared with Apache Avro, but the build products are native C++ libraries and a generator binary, so downstream packagers treat it differently from avro-c and avro-tools.

It is also a useful litmus test for multi-language serialization projects: if the C++ binding builds cleanly and tracks the shared specification, the format is more credible outside JVM-centered data stacks.

### Timeline

- 2010: Apache Avro 1.0.0 announced as the first Avro release.
- 2021: Avro 1.11.0 released with a large set of project fixes and features.
- 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

- avro-c provides the neighboring native C implementation and file utilities.
- avro-tools provides Java command-line utilities for schema and data-file work.
- Other Apache Avro bindings include JVM languages, Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, Rust, JavaScript, and Perl.

### Sources

- <https://avro.apache.org/>
- <https://avro.apache.org/blog/2010/07/15/avro-1.0.0/>
- <https://avro.apache.org/blog/releases/>
- <https://avro.apache.org/docs/>
- <https://avro.apache.org/docs/1.12.0/api/cpp/html/>
- <https://github.com/apache/avro>
- 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

- Nix - avro-cpp: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/av/avro-cpp/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/avro-cpp.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/avro-cpp.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