macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install baconlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install bacon with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix, pacman
Background rust code check. Version 3.23.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-19.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add baconAlpine Linux edge package indexes · bacon · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install baconDebian stable package indexes · bacon · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#baconnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ba/bacon/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S baconArch Linux sync databases · bacon · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Background rust code check
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bacon
history
Project history and usage
bacon is a Rust command-line tool for keeping cargo check, clippy, tests, documentation, and custom jobs running in the background while a developer edits code. Its package-manager significance is less about being a foundational compiler tool and more about packaging a common Rust workflow as a small, editor-adjacent daemon.
Project history
The public GitHub repository was created in October 2020 under Canop, and the README describes bacon as a background code checker designed for minimal interaction alongside an editor. Early releases reached 1.x by January 2021, and by 2026 the project was still publishing 3.x releases.
bacon grew around Cargo jobs rather than replacing Cargo: the official README shows default usage for check, clippy, tests, nextest, documentation, and user-defined jobs in bacon.toml. That kept it close to Rust's standard tooling while adding continuous feedback, keyboard switching between jobs, and project-local configuration.
Adoption history
The project is distributed through crates.io and is packaged in Homebrew, Debian, Alpine, Arch, and Nix according to the batch package metadata. GitHub repository metadata showed several thousand stars by June 2026, consistent with a well-known Rust developer convenience tool rather than a niche one-off.
Its adoption path follows the modern Rust CLI pattern: cargo install for upstream users, then operating-system packages for people who want reproducible workstation setup or package-manager updates.
How it is used
Typical usage is to run bacon in a Rust workspace and let it keep a selected job alive. The README examples cover plain bacon, bacon clippy, bacon test, bacon nextest, bacon doc, check-all, and custom job definitions in bacon.toml.
Because bacon watches a project and re-runs Cargo commands, it is most useful during active development and continuous refactoring. It is not a build system; it is a terminal feedback loop around Cargo.
Why package nerds care
Package nerds care about bacon because it is a clean example of a language-ecosystem helper that became worth packaging independently. It wraps common Cargo invocations without becoming a new dependency manager, and its config discovery across Cargo metadata and bacon.toml mirrors how Rust workspaces actually get shared.
Timeline
- 2020: Canop/bacon GitHub repository created.
- 2021: First GitHub release series visible as v1.1.3 and related 1.x releases.
- 2026: v3.23.0 released, showing continued maintenance.
Related projects
- Cargo, clippy, rustdoc, and cargo-nextest are the core tools bacon commonly drives.
- watchexec and cargo-watch are adjacent file-watching command runners; bacon is more Rust-job oriented and interactive.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for bacon. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.
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.
- Unix
prefs.toml$BACON_PREFSCargo.toml workspace.metadata.baconworkspace-root/bacon.tomlworkspace-root/.config/bacon.tomlCargo.toml package.metadata.baconpackage-root/bacon.tomlpackage-root/.config/bacon.toml$BACON_CONFIG
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
bacon | cli | global executable |
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 generated2026-07-08
manager version3.23.0
manager updated2026-05-19
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv3.23.0
https://github.com/Canop/bacon
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:bacon |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.23.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bacon |
| Homepage | https://dystroy.org/bacon/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/Canop/bacon |
| Upstream docs | https://dystroy.org/bacon |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/Canop/bacon/archive/refs/tags/v3.23.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-19T17:27:33Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf, rust |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | bacon |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
bacon 3.12.0-3
background code checker
https://github.com/Canop/bacon
sudo apt install bacon- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: rust-bacon
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacon
Nix95%
bacon
nix profile install nixpkgs#bacon- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacon
apk95%
bacon 3.18.0-r0
Background code checker for Rust
https://github.com/Canop/bacon
sudo apk add bacon- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: bacon
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacon
pacman95%
bacon 3.23.0-1
A background rust code checker
sudo pacman -S bacon- License: AGPL-3.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 4 dependencies
- 6 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacon
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
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment