# Install driftctl with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix

Detect, track and alert on infrastructure drift. Version 0.40.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-28. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#driftctl.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:driftctl
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install driftctl
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install driftctl
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/driftctl/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#driftctl
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:driftctl
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.40.0
- **Source summary:** Detect, track and alert on infrastructure drift
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/snyk/driftctl>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/snyk/driftctl>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-28T14:10:42+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- driftctl (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.40.0
## Project history and usage

driftctl is a Snyk-maintained infrastructure-drift scanner for Terraform-era IaC workflows. It measures how much cloud infrastructure is covered by code and reports unmanaged or drifted resources.

### Project history

The public repository was created in September 2020 and the official docs describe the tool as a CLI for measuring infrastructure-as-code coverage and tracking drift. Its README now states that the project is in maintenance mode, which makes the package historically important as a snapshot of the early standalone drift-detection tooling wave.

### Adoption history

driftctl was adopted by infrastructure and DevSecOps users because it filled a gap between Terraform state and actual cloud-provider state. The official installation docs list direct binaries, Docker, Homebrew, and MacPorts, while the README shows badges for release downloads and Docker pulls, reflecting distribution beyond source builds.

### How it is used

Typical use centers on driftctl scan, with Terraform state supplied locally, from S3, from multiple state files, or by glob. The docs also show AWS credential usage through environment variables, named profiles, and Docker mounts for ~/.aws and ~/.driftctl.

### Why package nerds care

For package nerds, driftctl is a neat example of a Go-style single-binary cloud CLI that shipped through releases, Docker, Homebrew, MacPorts, and distro package indexes. It also marks a moment when IaC drift moved from an enterprise-platform feature into a small installable tool.

### Timeline

- 2020: Public snyk/driftctl repository created.
- 2020: Early v0.1.x tags appear in the public repository.
- 2023: v0.40.0 release published and documented as the stable Homebrew version.
- 2026: README identifies the project as being in maintenance mode.

### Related projects

- Terraform is the primary IaC system referenced by driftctl docs and examples.
- Snyk is the maintaining organization for the repository and documentation.
- The official Docker image snyk/driftctl is documented as an alternate installation and execution path.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/snyk/driftctl>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snyk/driftctl/main/README.md>
- <https://docs.driftctl.com/0.40.0/>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snyk/driftctl-docs/main/versioned_docs/version-0.40.0/intro.mdx>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snyk/driftctl-docs/main/versioned_docs/version-0.40.0/installation.mdx>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snyk/driftctl-docs/main/versioned_docs/version-0.40.0/usage.mdx>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/driftctl>


## Security Notes

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

- **Geiger risk:** orange / medium
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - driftctl: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dr/driftctl/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- MacPorts - driftctl: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/driftctl/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

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