install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install nfpm

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

Simple deb and rpm packager

Project links

Commands and aliases

nfpm

history

Project history and usage

nFPM is a Go-based packaging tool from the GoReleaser ecosystem for producing native Linux packages such as deb, rpm, apk, ipk, Arch Linux packages, Termux debs, and MSIX packages. Its practical niche is release automation: take files and metadata from a build and emit distro-package artifacts without forcing every project to maintain native packaging trees.

Project history

Carlos Becker introduced nFPM in a February 23, 2018 post after working on GoReleaser and finding fpm awkward for that workflow because it depended on Ruby, tar behavior, and external packaging software. The name means "Not FPM"; the project was meant to be simpler, predictable, usable both as a library and as a binary, and implemented with minimal external dependencies.

The GitHub README repeats that origin story in package-nerd terms: fpm was useful, but its Ruby and system-tool dependencies were a pain, so nFPM became a simpler, zero-dependency, low-assumption alternative. The repository also credits fpm as the inspiration rather than pretending to be a wholly new packaging idea.

Adoption history

nFPM's adoption is tied to GoReleaser rather than to a distro committee. Becker's original post said GoReleaser was about to remove fpm and default to nFPM, and GoReleaser's packaging documentation now exposes nFPM directly under its package/archive pipeline.

The project has grown beyond the original deb/rpm goal. GoReleaser's nFPM documentation lists apk, deb, rpm, Termux deb, Arch Linux, ipk, and MSIX as package formats, which shows how it became a general release-artifact generator for projects that ship binaries across Linux distributions and, later, Windows MSIX.

How it is used

Package nerds use nFPM either through GoReleaser's `nfpms` section or as the standalone `nfpm` CLI/Go library. The common flow is to describe package name, files, config files, scripts, dependencies, maintainer metadata, and target formats in YAML, then have CI produce distro-shaped packages next to checksums, archives, Homebrew taps, and container images.

Its value is highest for upstream application projects that want acceptable native packages without becoming Debian, RPM, Alpine, Arch, and OpenWrt packaging specialists. It does not replace distribution-maintained packaging policy; it makes upstream release artifacts boring enough for users to install with familiar package tools.

Why package nerds care

nFPM matters because it sits in the gray zone between tarballs and real distro packages. It gives upstream projects a small, reproducible way to generate packages with maintainer scripts and dependency metadata, while avoiding the heavier machinery of distro-specific packaging repositories.

Timeline

2018-02-23: Carlos Becker published "Creating debs and rpms with Go" and described why nFPM was created.
2018: GoReleaser was moving away from fpm toward nFPM for its Linux package pipeline.
2026-06-23: GoReleaser's nFPM documentation listed Linux formats plus MSIX and Termux-specific packaging behavior.

Related projects

GoReleaser
fpm
Debian dpkg
RPM
Alpine apk
Arch Linux pacman

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: ./nfpm.yaml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`nfpm`	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 version2.47.0

manager updated2026-07-26

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:nfpm
Version	2.47.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://nfpm.goreleaser.com/
Repository	https://github.com/goreleaser/nfpm
Last updated	2026-07-26T19:43:15+02:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/nfpm.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install nfpm with Homebrew