install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bender

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#bender

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/be/bender/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Dependency management tool for hardware projects

Project links

Commands and aliases

bender

history

Project history and usage

Bender is PULP Platform's dependency manager for hardware design projects. It manages HDL package dependencies from Git repositories and local paths, resolves compatible versions, writes a `Bender.lock`, and emits ordered source sets for downstream EDA tools.

Project history

The official GitHub repository was created in May 2018 and is maintained by the PULP Platform at ETH Zurich and the University of Bologna. The README positions Bender as a tool that fits existing hardware flows instead of imposing a registry, directory layout, or simulator.

By the 0.24.0 release in January 2022, Bender had an established public release stream; releases continued through the 0.32.0 release in June 2026. The project is written and distributed as a developer CLI with crates.io, Homebrew, and Nix packaging signals.

Adoption history

Bender's adoption sits in the open hardware and HDL ecosystem rather than general software packaging. It is used to pin Git-based IP dependencies, handle local overrides, and generate scripts for tools such as QuestaSim, VCS, Vivado, and Verilator.

The PULP Platform affiliation gives it a notable institutional context: it serves the kind of multi-repository hardware IP workflow common in research and silicon-development groups.

How it is used

A typical workflow is to create or edit `Bender.yml`, run `bender update` to resolve dependencies and write `Bender.lock`, optionally run `bender checkout`, and generate simulator or synthesis tool inputs with `bender script`.

`Bender.local` is used for local dependency overrides when developing hardware IP in place. This makes Bender closer to Cargo or Bundler in spirit than to a simulator wrapper, but specialized for HDL source ordering and EDA tool integration.

Why package nerds care

Bender is package-nerd significant because hardware projects often have dependency problems that look like software package management but with HDL-specific source ordering, include directories, defines, and simulator targets. Bender packages those concerns into a reproducible CLI.

It is also an example of package management without a central registry: dependencies can come from Git tags, revisions, or local paths, and reproducibility is carried by the lockfile.

Timeline

2018: GitHub repository created.
2022: v0.24.0 release published.
2024: v0.28.0 release published.
2025: v0.29.0 release published.
2026: v0.32.0 release published.

Related projects

The PULP Platform maintains Bender and uses it in the open hardware ecosystem.
QuestaSim, VCS, Vivado, and Verilator are documented downstream tool targets.
Cargo/crates.io is part of the distribution story for the Rust-based CLI.

Sources

https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender
https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender/releases
https://pulp-platform.github.io/bender/
source_facts.package-manager
source_facts.repo

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

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: ./Bender.yml./Bender.local

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`bender`	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 generated2026-07-25

manager version0.32.1

manager updated2026-07-07

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.32.1

https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bender
Version	0.32.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bender
Homepage	https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender
Repository	https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender
Upstream docs	https://pulp-platform.github.io/bender
License	Apache-2.0 OR MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/pulp-platform/bender/archive/refs/tags/v0.32.1.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-07-07T15:31:59Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	cmake, 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	bender
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	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

bender

nix profile install nixpkgs#bender

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bender

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/be/bender/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/bender.yml

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

Install bender with Homebrew, Nix