# Install aiken with Homebrew, Nix Modern smart contract platform for Cardano. Version 1.1.23 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-26. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:aiken ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install aiken ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#aiken ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ai/aiken/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:aiken - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.1.23 - **Source summary:** Modern smart contract platform for Cardano - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-26T19:14:50Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - aiken (cli) - aiken (alias) ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - rust ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.1.23 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-26 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/aiken-lang/aiken - Upstream latest detected: v1.1.23 (current) ## Project history and usage Aiken is a modern smart-contract language and toolchain for Cardano. The official repository describes it as a modern smart contract platform for Cardano, and the docs cover installation, language concepts, modules, packages, playground usage, and the built-in language server. ### Project history The public Aiken repository was created in April 2022. The project is organized around a compiler/toolchain, a website, a standard library, a package registry, a playground, and `aikup`, a version-management installer for Aiken releases. Aiken's README says the name comes from Howard Aiken, the American physicist and computing pioneer. The project presents itself as a developer-friendly Cardano smart-contract stack rather than just a compiler binary. ### Adoption history Aiken is published through multiple developer package channels. The official README links to crates.io and npm badges, the npm registry lists `@aiken-lang/aiken`, and Homebrew packages the `aiken` formula. The official installation page now recommends `aikup` and documents npm, Homebrew, shell, PowerShell, and MSI paths. Homebrew listed version 1.1.23 as stable and the npm registry listed 1.1.23 as latest when checked. The input package facts also list Nix packaging, showing adoption among reproducible-build users. ### How it is used Aiken users create Cardano smart-contract projects, write modules, use the language server, and build/test contracts through the command-line toolchain. The docs identify `aiken.toml` as the project root pattern for language-server integration. No credentials file is part of ordinary Aiken operation; it is a compiler/toolchain rather than a hosted-service client. ### Why package nerds care Aiken is interesting as a blockchain language package because it spans several ecosystems at once: Rust/crates.io for implementation culture, npm and Homebrew for user installation, Nix for reproducibility, and its own package registry for language libraries. For package maintainers, the important object is not only the `aiken` executable but the surrounding developer platform: version manager, LSP, standard library, package registry, playground, and `aiken.toml` project convention. ### Timeline - 2022: Public Aiken GitHub repository created. - 2024: npm package record for `@aiken-lang/aiken` created. - 2026: npm and Homebrew list 1.1.23 as current/latest. ### Related projects - Cardano and Plutus smart-contract tooling. - aikup, the official Aiken version manager. - Aiken standard library, packages site, and playground. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for aiken. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## 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 - Unix: aiken.toml in project root ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** aiken - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - aiken: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ai/aiken/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [anchor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/anchor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [clarinet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clarinet/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [foundry](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/foundry/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [solc-select](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/solc-select/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [solhint](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/solhint/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [stellar-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/stellar-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [sui](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sui/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. - [truffle](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/truffle/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: blockchain, cli, developer-tools, smart-contracts. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/aiken.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/aiken.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph