Install thriftgo with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• thriftgo

Project history

The official repository was created in 2021. Its README defines thriftgo as an Apache Thrift IDL compiler written in Go, with code generation for Go and a plugin system for custom code generation.

CloudWeGo documentation positions thriftgo as part of its service-development toolchain: Kitex uses thriftgo as the Thrift IDL parser/generator, and the Kitex code-generation docs describe generated serialization code as coming from thriftgo or protoc underneath the higher-level Kitex command.

Adoption history

Thriftgo's adoption is concentrated in the Go and CloudWeGo ecosystem. Official CloudWeGo setup docs instruct users to install thriftgo before using Kitex with Thrift IDL, and the Homebrew formula packages the standalone compiler as a developer CLI.

How it is used

The README shows the direct compiler workflow as `thriftgo -g go example.thrift`, writing generated code under `./gen-go/<namespace>/`. It also documents generator options, plugins, include paths, recursive generation, and compatibility constraints with the Apache Thrift Go runtime.

CloudWeGo also documents thriftgo features such as IDL trimming from v0.3.1 onward, which lets teams remove unused definitions from large IDL sets before generating Go code.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, thriftgo is the Go-specific counterpart to the larger Apache Thrift compiler: it is small as a formula, but important when a Go RPC framework expects exactly this generator and its runtime compatibility behavior.

It matters in reproducible builds because generated Go code, thriftgo version, Apache Thrift runtime version, and Kitex/Hertz scaffolding can all be coupled.

Timeline

• 2021: GitHub repository created.
• 2022: v0.2.0 release published on GitHub.
• 2024: CloudWeGo documented thriftgo IDL trimming for v0.3.1+.
• 2026: v0.4.5 release published on GitHub.

Related projects

• Thriftgo is related to Apache Thrift, Kitex, Hertz, and CloudWeGo's plugin ecosystem for Go service code generation.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/cloudwego/thriftgo
• https://api.github.com/repos/cloudwego/thriftgo/releases
• https://github.com/cloudwego/thriftgo
• https://www.cloudwego.io/docs/kitex/getting-started/prerequisite/
• https://www.cloudwego.io/docs/kitex/tutorials/code-gen/code_generation/
• https://www.cloudwego.io/docs/kitex/tutorials/code-gen/idl_trimmer/
• input source_facts.package-manager