macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cargo-componentlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 7932
Install cargo-component with Homebrew, Nix
Create WebAssembly components based on the component model proposal. Version 0.21.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-component.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-componentnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ca/cargo-component/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Create WebAssembly components based on the component model proposal
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cargo-component
history
Project history and usage
cargo-component is a Bytecode Alliance Cargo subcommand for creating WebAssembly components from Rust projects. It exists to bridge Cargo workflows with the WebAssembly component model, WIT interfaces, generated bindings, and component dependencies.
Project history
The repository was created in 2022 under the Bytecode Alliance. Its README describes cargo-component as an experimental attempt to imagine what first-class Rust support for WebAssembly components might look like before Cargo itself has native component-model support.
The project grew alongside Bytecode Alliance work on the WebAssembly component model, wit-bindgen, Wasmtime, and WASI Preview 2. It uses Cargo.toml metadata and generates Rust bindings so component interfaces can be used in a Cargo-like development loop.
Adoption history
Adoption has followed the WebAssembly component-model community rather than general Rust CLI usage. crates.io metadata shows hundreds of thousands of downloads by June 2026, and Homebrew and Nix packaging make it easier to install for component-model experiments and CI builds.
The README notes that Rust's upstream wasm32-wasip2 target now produces components for some WASI use cases, leaving cargo-component most relevant where projects need non-WASI WIT interfaces, component dependencies, or features not yet covered by plain Cargo.
How it is used
The documented flow starts with `cargo component new --lib <name>` or a command component, creates a `wit/world.wit` interface, implements generated bindings in Rust, and builds with `cargo component build`.
The tool can also add and update component interface dependencies through Cargo.toml, and it supports adapter configuration in `[package.metadata.component]` for WASI Preview 1 to Preview 2 adaptation.
Why package nerds care
cargo-component is significant because it treats WebAssembly components as packageable dependencies inside Cargo projects. For package ecosystem watchers, it is a live example of how Rust's package manager might evolve when language packages and portable component interfaces meet.
It also marks a transitional period: component-model tooling is moving quickly, and the README explicitly frames cargo-component as useful until more support lands in the Rust compiler and Cargo.
Timeline
- 2021: crates.io records an initial cargo-component publication.
- 2022: GitHub repository created under bytecodealliance/cargo-component.
- 2024: README references Rust 1.82 adding the upstream wasm32-wasip2 target.
- 2025: GitHub releases show the 0.21.x series.
Related projects
- The WebAssembly component model defines the component format cargo-component targets.
- wit-bindgen generates bindings for WIT interfaces and is closely related to cargo-component's generated Rust bindings.
- Wasmtime supplies WASI adapter work referenced by the README.
- Rust's wasm32-wasip2 target is an upstream alternative for some WASI-only component builds.
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 bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
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
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
Cargo.toml.vscode/settings.json
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cargo-component | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version0.21.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cargo-component |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.21.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/bytecodealliance/cargo-component |
| Repository | https://github.com/bytecodealliance/cargo-component |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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%
cargo-component
nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-component- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cargo Component
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation