macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install notationlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 6715
Install notation with Homebrew, Nix, winget
CLI tool to sign and verify OCI artifacts and container images. Version 1.3.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#notation.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#notationnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/no/notation/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id NotaryProject.Notation -eWindows Package Manager source index · NotaryProject.Notation · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
CLI tool to sign and verify OCI artifacts and container images
Project links
Commands and aliases
- notation
history
Project history and usage
Notation is the Notary Project command-line implementation for signing and verifying OCI artifacts and container images. Its role is narrower than a general packaging or registry client: it exists to put signatures into the OCI registry ecosystem and to enforce trust policy when artifacts are pulled or promoted.
Project history
The public tag history for notaryproject/notation starts with v0.7.0-alpha.1 on 2021-10-20, followed by a long alpha and release-candidate line before the first stable v1.0.0 release on 2023-08-15. The v1.0.0 release notes describe it as the CLI reference implementation of the Notary Project Specifications v1.0.0 and call out signing, verification, signature inspection, registry authentication through Docker credential stores, plugin support, trust policy, trust stores, and certificate revocation support.
The project sits inside the broader Notary Project, which is a CNCF Incubating project. That matters for adoption because Notation is not just a standalone CLI: it is tied to a standards-oriented supply-chain security effort around OCI registries and signatures.
Adoption history
Adoption is strongest in container supply-chain security workflows rather than general developer CLI usage. The README points users at quickstarts for signing and validating container images and at cloud-provider integrations such as Azure Key Vault and AWS Signer. Homebrew analytics are modest, with 256 installs over the 365-day window reported by the formula JSON, which fits a specialized security tool rather than a broad daily shell utility.
How it is used
Package nerds use notation where signatures need to be attached to images or other OCI artifacts and then verified by policy. The practical loop is: authenticate to a registry, sign an artifact, inspect or list signatures, configure trust stores and trust policy, and verify before promotion or deployment. Plugin support is important because signing keys often live in KMS systems rather than local files.
Why package nerds care
Notation is significant because it is one of the concrete tools package and registry people reach for when discussing OCI-native signatures. Its value is less about command-line ergonomics and more about being the executable face of the Notary Project specifications.
Timeline
- 2021-10-20: v0.7.0-alpha.1 tag in the public repository.
- 2023-08-15: v1.0.0 release announced as the first stable Notation CLI V1 release.
- 2025-04-24: v1.3.2 tag, the stable version packaged by Homebrew in the checked formula metadata.
- 2025-03-12: v2.0.0-alpha.1 tag appeared, showing active work beyond the 1.x line.
Related projects
- Notary Project specifications, OCI image/distribution specifications, ORAS, Docker credential stores, Azure Key Vault, AWS Signer.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:container
- text:image
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.
- Linux
~/.config/notation/config.json- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/notation/config.json- Windows
~/AppData/Roaming/notation/config.json
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Linux
~/.config/notation/config.json~/.config/notation/signingkeys.json~/.docker/config.json- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/notation/config.json~/Library/Application Support/notation/signingkeys.json~/.docker/config.json- Windows
~/AppData/Roaming/notation/config.json~/AppData/Roaming/notation/signingkeys.json
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
notation | 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 version1.3.2
manager updated2026-07-26
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:notation |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.3.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://notaryproject.dev/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/notaryproject/notation |
| Last updated | 2026-07-26T19:43:16+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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%
notation
nix profile install nixpkgs#notation- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Notation
winget95%
NotaryProject.Notation
winget install --id NotaryProject.Notation -e- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Notation
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