Install naga-cli with Homebrew, apt

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository

Commands and aliases

• naga

Project history

Naga began as part of the gfx-rs graphics stack, with docs and maintainer writing tying it to an earlier Javelin name and to the WebGPU/WGSL transition. The old standalone gfx-rs/naga repository is archived because development moved into the wgpu repository, but the docs still describe Naga as a standalone library. The naga crate was created on crates.io on February 27, 2020; the naga-cli crate was created on October 20, 2021.

Adoption history

Naga adoption is mostly transitive through wgpu, not through direct CLI use. On July 1, 2026 the wgpu GitHub API showed 17,474 stars, 1,343 forks, and GitHub's rendered repository page showed it used by more than 46,000 dependents. crates.io reported 28,591,294 total downloads for the naga library crate and 43,842 for naga-cli. Homebrew reported 358 naga-cli installs over 365 days, which fits the CLI's role as a developer/debugging tool rather than the normal application dependency path.

How it is used

The CLI is used to validate shaders and exercise conversion paths: WGSL validation, SPIR-V dumps, SPIR-V to Metal, WGSL to GLSL under a selected profile, and output formats such as WGSL, GLSL, Metal, HLSL, SPIR-V, and DOT. Graphics developers use it when debugging shader portability, testing Naga behavior at a particular wgpu commit, checking snapshots, or reducing shader translation bugs outside a full application.

Why package nerds care

naga-cli is significant because it exposes one of the key moving parts behind Rust WebGPU portability. wgpu uses Naga to translate WGSL into platform shading languages for native backends, and maintainer writing describes Naga as powering wgpu and transitively Gecko/Firefox. For package nerds, the formula is also a classic binary-name collision case: `brew install naga-cli` and `brew install naga` cannot coexist because both provide `naga`.

Timeline

• 2018-09-13: wgpu repository created.
• 2020-02-27: naga crate created on crates.io.
• 2021-10-07: gfx-rs announced wgpu v0.11 and naga v0.7, describing naga as the shader translation and validation layer.
• 2021-10-20: naga-cli crate created on crates.io.
• 2026-05-02: wgpu/naga v29.0.3 published.
• 2026-07-01: crates.io reported 28,591,294 naga downloads and 43,842 naga-cli downloads.

Related projects

• wgpu
• WebGPU
• WGSL
• SPIR-V
• Tint
• Dawn
• Gecko
• Firefox

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/gfx-rs/wgpu
• https://api.github.com/repos/gfx-rs/wgpu/releases/latest
• https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/naga
• https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/naga-cli
• https://docs.rs/crate/naga/latest
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/naga-cli.json
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/naga-cli
• https://gfx-rs.github.io/2021/10/07/release-0.11.html
• https://github.com/gfx-rs/naga
• https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu
• https://kvark.github.io/naga/shader/2022/02/17/shader-translation-benchmark.html