# 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
```sh
sudo av install brew:notation
```
Additional install commands:
### macOS
- Homebrew (100%):
```sh
brew install notation
```
Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata
### Linux
- Nix (92%):
```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#notation
```
Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/no/notation/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
### Windows
- winget (92%):
```sh
winget install --id NotaryProject.Notation -e
```
Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: NotaryProject.Notation from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix
## Package facts
- **Package key:** brew:notation
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.3.2
- **Source summary:** CLI tool to sign and verify OCI artifacts and container images
- **Homepage:**
- **Repository:**
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-26T19:43:16+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00
## Executables
- notation (alias)
## Install behavior
- Bottle: not available
## Freshness
- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.3.2
## 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
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## Security Notes
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
- **Geiger risk:** orange / medium
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
## 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
- Linux: ~/.config/notation/config.json
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/notation/config.json
- Windows: ~/AppData/Roaming/notation/config.json
## Credential files
- 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
## Other Package-Manager Records
- Nix - notation: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/no/notation/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- winget - NotaryProject.Notation: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: NotaryProject.Notation from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix
## Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/notation.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/notation.yml)
## Sources
- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph