# Install bacon with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix, pacman Background rust code check. Version 3.23.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bacon ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bacon ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add bacon ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bacon from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install bacon ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: bacon from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#bacon ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ba/bacon/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S bacon ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: bacon from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bacon - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.23.0 - **Source summary:** Background rust code check - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** AGPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-19T17:27:33Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-09T07:20:21+00:00 ## Executables - bacon (cli) - bacon (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: 2026-07-09 - Package-manager version: 3.23.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/Canop/bacon - Upstream latest detected: v3.23.0 (current) ## 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 - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes 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. ## 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: prefs.toml, $BACON_PREFS, Cargo.toml workspace.metadata.bacon, workspace-root/bacon.toml, workspace-root/.config/bacon.toml, Cargo.toml package.metadata.bacon, package-root/bacon.toml, package-root/.config/bacon.toml, $BACON_CONFIG ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - bacon - 3.12.0-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bacon from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | background code checker | https://github.com/Canop/bacon - Nix - bacon: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ba/bacon/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - bacon - 3.18.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bacon from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Background code checker for Rust | https://github.com/Canop/bacon - pacman - bacon - 3.23.0-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: bacon from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A background rust code checker | https://dystroy.org/bacon ## 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. - [action-validator](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-validator/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [agent-browser](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/agent-browser/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [bacon-ls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bacon-ls/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [bindgen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bindgen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [bob](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bob/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [buffrs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/buffrs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [c2rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/c2rust/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-auditable](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-auditable/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-careful](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-careful/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cli, code, developer, developer-tools, rust. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bacon.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bacon.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