# Install cargo-binstall with Homebrew

Binary installation for rust projects. Version 1.21.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-25.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:cargo-binstall
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install cargo-binstall
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:cargo-binstall
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.21.1
- **Source summary:** Binary installation for rust projects
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-25T14:57:32Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- cargo-binstall (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.21.1
## Project history and usage

cargo-binstall is a Cargo subcommand for installing Rust command-line tools from prebuilt binaries when possible, falling back to source builds when needed. Its package-history importance is that it tackles the pain of `cargo install` compile times without requiring every Rust tool author to become a full package maintainer.

### Project history

The public cargo-binstall repository was created in December 2020. The README describes Binstall as a low-complexity alternative to building from source with `cargo install` or manually downloading release archives.

The project evolved around reuse of existing ecosystem metadata: it fetches crate information from crates.io, checks the linked repository for matching releases and artifacts, can fall back to quickinstall artifacts, supports alternate targets, and uses `cargo install` as a last resort.

### Adoption history

cargo-binstall is packaged through Homebrew, Nix, Arch Linux, and Scoop according to the supplied source facts, and its README documents Homebrew installation plus official shell one-liners and a first-party GitHub Action.

Adoption is also indirect: the README notes that cargo-update can automatically use Binstall if present, and that taiki-e/install-action has dedicated support for selected tools while using Binstall for others.

### How it is used

Users typically run `cargo binstall <crate>` to install a binary crate from a matching release artifact. For CI, the README recommends `--no-confirm`, and for maintainers it documents optional `[package.metadata.binstall]` configuration in Cargo.toml.

The SUPPORT.md documentation explains how maintainers can specify package URLs, archive formats, binary directories, disabled strategies, target overrides, and cfg expressions so Binstall can find release artifacts reliably.

### Why package nerds care

cargo-binstall is significant because Rust's source-first install story is elegant but expensive. For command-line tools, users often want the package-manager experience of downloading a binary, while maintainers may already publish GitHub release artifacts.

For package nerds it occupies the space between language registries and system package managers: it reads crates.io metadata and Cargo.toml hints, locates release assets, respects targets and signatures where available, and only compiles when the binary path fails.

### Timeline

- 2020: cargo-binstall repository created on GitHub.
- 2026: GitHub repository metadata shows active maintenance and a large user signal for a Cargo installer tool.
- 2026: README documents release-asset installation, quickinstall fallback, a first-party GitHub Action, signatures, and telemetry controls.

### Related projects

- cargo-binstall is related to cargo install, crates.io, GitHub/GitLab release assets, cargo-quickinstall, and cargo-update.
- The README also names cargo-run-bin for project-scoped tool management, taiki-e/install-action for CI installation, and support metadata in Cargo.toml for maintainers who publish binaries.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall>
- <https://github.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall/main/README.md>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall/main/SUPPORT.md>
- source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cargo-binstall.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cargo-binstall.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation