# Install kerl with Homebrew Easy building and installing of Erlang/OTP instances. Version 4.4.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:kerl ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install kerl ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:kerl - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 4.4.0 - **Source summary:** Easy building and installing of Erlang/OTP instances - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - kerl (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 4.4.0 ## Project history and usage kerl is a POSIX-shell tool for building, installing, activating, deploying, and managing Erlang/OTP installations from source. ### Project history The kerl/kerl repository was created on GitHub on 2011-07-05. Its README describes a shell-agnostic tool whose direct dependencies are curl and git, excluding the system packages needed to compile Erlang/OTP itself. kerl's design centers on separating builds from installations: once a particular OTP release is built, the build can be installed quickly into one or more destinations and activated per shell session. ### Adoption history kerl became a durable part of Erlang and Elixir development because it solved the practical problem of compiling many OTP versions with different configure options. The asdf-erlang plugin explicitly says it relies on kerl for builds and combines kerl's compatibility/build scripts with asdf's version-switching UX. On 2026-07-01, GitHub API metadata reported 1,660 stars and 236 forks, and Homebrew metadata listed kerl 4.4.0. ### How it is used Users run kerl list releases, kerl build, kerl install, and shell activation scripts to work with specific Erlang/OTP versions. The README also documents building from the official Erlang/OTP GitHub tags, official Erlang downloads, or arbitrary Git refs and forks. In package-manager workflows, kerl is often the lower-level build engine beneath friendlier version managers, especially when macOS, Linux distro, OpenSSL, wxWidgets, or documentation-build quirks matter. ### Why package nerds care kerl is significant because it is small shell code that encodes years of Erlang/OTP build knowledge. It sits between language-runtime packaging and developer version management, much like ruby-build or pyenv installers do for their ecosystems. ### Timeline - 2011-07-05: kerl/kerl repository created on GitHub. - 2023-10-12: 4.0.0 release published. - 2025-06-19: 4.4.0 release published. - 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula metadata listed kerl 4.4.0. ### Related projects - Erlang/OTP is the runtime kerl builds and installs. - asdf-erlang relies on kerl for Erlang builds while adding asdf's .tool-versions workflow. - Homebrew packages kerl directly for macOS users. ### Sources - - - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ~/.kerlrc ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/kerl.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/kerl.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - cross-ecosystem install command graph