Install vala-language-server with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• vala-language-server

Project history

The public repository presents Vala Language Server as the language server for the Vala programming language and shows a codebase written almost entirely in Vala. Its earliest GitHub pre-release in April 2020 was in the 0.48 alpha series, aligning the server with Vala 0.48-era compiler libraries.

The 0.48 release series continued through 2023. GitHub releases show 0.48-alpha3 in April 2020, 0.48 in May 2020, and 0.48.7 in February 2023.

Adoption history

The README documents installation across Arch/AUR, OBS-backed packages for several distributions, Fedora, elementaryOS, Alpine, Guix, Void, and MSYS2 on Windows. That package spread is notable for a niche language tool, and the input also lists Homebrew, apk, dnf, and Nix packages.

GNOME tooling helped drive adoption. A 2022 This Week in GNOME note explained that after GNOME Builder 43 stopped bundling the Vala Language Server, Flatpak SDK users needed the language server from the Vala Flatpak SDK and other users needed to install it on their system.

How it is used

VLS is launched by editors as `vala-language-server`. The README provides concrete configuration snippets for coc.nvim, vim-lsp, Neovim's lspconfig, Sublime Text LSP, and notes support in VS Code, GNOME Builder, Kate, and Emacs.

Like other compiled-language servers, VLS depends on project context. The README warns that it cannot know compiler arguments unless it can locate a build script, `compile_commands.json`, or a shebang, and it documents supported project types including Meson, CMake, Autotools, compile commands, and Vala scripts.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, Vala Language Server is the small but important bridge between a distribution-provided compiler stack and modern editor workflows. Installing it from Homebrew or a distro package turns Vala from a plain `valac` command into a language with completion, diagnostics, and navigation in generic LSP-capable editors.

It also exposes the packaging awkwardness of language servers for niche languages: editor plugins, Flatpak SDK extensions, distro packages, and compiler library versions all have to line up for the server to be useful.

Timeline

• 2020: 0.48-alpha3 and 0.48-alpha4 pre-releases are published.
• 2020: 0.48 release is published.
• 2022: GNOME Builder 43 no longer bundles VLS, shifting users toward SDK or system installs.
• 2023: 0.48.7 is published as the latest release shown by GitHub.

Related projects

• Vala and libvala provide the compiler stack VLS depends on.
• GNOME Builder, VS Code, Vim, Neovim, Kate, Emacs, and Sublime Text are editor surfaces documented by the project.
• Meson, CMake, Autotools, and `compile_commands.json` are project-discovery mechanisms VLS understands.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/vala-lang/vala-language-server/releases?per_page=100
• https://github.com/vala-lang/vala-language-server
• https://github.com/vala-lang/vala-language-server/releases
• https://thisweek.gnome.org/posts/2022/10/twig-64/
• source_facts.package-manager