install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bindgen

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install bindgen

Debian stable package indexes · bindgen · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install bindgen-cli

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · bindgen-cli · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

overview

Package summary

Automatically generates Rust FFI bindings to C (and some C++) libraries

Project links

Commands and aliases

bindgen

history

Project history and usage

bindgen is the Rust ecosystem's standard bridge from C and C++ header files to Rust FFI declarations. It uses Clang/libclang to understand native headers, then emits Rust declarations that let crates call C libraries without hand-maintaining large extern blocks.

Project history

The bindgen crate was first published to crates.io in November 2014, before the current rust-lang/rust-bindgen GitHub repository was created in June 2016. The project later became a Rust organization project and documents both a library API and a bindgen command-line tool.

The README describes bindgen as automatically generating Rust FFI bindings to C and some C++ libraries, and the user guide documents command-line use, libclang requirements, build-script integration, and allow/block-listing. The changelog and GitHub releases show a continuing 0.x release line, with 0.72.1 published in August 2025.

Adoption history

bindgen became infrastructure rather than just a utility: crates use it from build.rs scripts to follow system headers at build time, while package managers ship the standalone CLI for developers who want generated bindings on demand. The supplied package facts list Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu packages, and crates.io reports hundreds of millions of crate downloads.

How it is used

Typical use is to point bindgen at a wrapper header, pass any needed Clang include or target arguments, and either write the generated Rust to a file or integrate generation into a Cargo build script. The README also documents environment variables such as BINDGEN_EXTRA_CLANG_ARGS for end-user control without patching downstream crates.

Why package nerds care

bindgen matters to package people because it turns native ABI drift into a build-time concern. When a distribution updates libclang, libc headers, OpenSSL, LLVM, or another C dependency, Rust packages that rely on bindgen can regenerate declarations instead of shipping stale vendored bindings.

It is also a classic example of Rust's pragmatic systems story: memory-safe application code still has to meet decades of C APIs, and bindgen is the conveyor belt between those worlds. Its dependency on libclang makes it sensitive to compiler packaging, SDK paths, sysroots, cross-compilation flags, and reproducible-build environments.

Timeline

2014: bindgen crate first appears on crates.io.
2016: rust-lang/rust-bindgen GitHub repository is created.
2024: 0.70.x and 0.71.x releases continue the modern changelog line.
2025: 0.72.1 is published on crates.io and GitHub releases.

Related projects

Related Rust FFI projects include cbindgen, which emits C headers from Rust APIs, and clang-sys, which exposes libclang bindings used by bindgen. In downstream packages, bindgen often appears beside cc, pkg-config, and system library development headers.

Sources

GitHub API reports repository creation in 2016.
GitHub README documents purpose, user guide, environment variables, and release policy.
crates.io API reports first crate publication in 2014, latest version, and download adoption.
input.source_facts.package-manager lists distro/package-manager availability.

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 1 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: rustfmt.toml in the directory where bindgen is run

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`bindgen`	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 version0.72.1

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.72.1

https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-bindgen

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bindgen
Version	0.72.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bindgen
Homepage	https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-bindgen/
Repository	https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-bindgen
Upstream docs	https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-bindgen#readme
License	BSD-3-Clause
Source archive	https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-bindgen/archive/refs/tags/v0.72.1.tar.gz
Build dependencies	rust
Uses from macOS	llvm
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	bindgen
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.

Debian apt95%

bindgen 0.71.1-6

Automatically generate Rust FFI bindings to C and C++ libraries

https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-bindgen/

sudo apt install bindgen

Section: rust
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: rust-bindgen-cli
3 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bindgen

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: bindgen from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Ubuntu apt95%

bindgen 0.66.1-4

Automatically generate Rust FFI bindings to C and C++ libraries

https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-bindgen/

sudo apt install bindgen

Section: universe/rust
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: rust-bindgen-cli
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bindgen

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bindgen from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

dnf95%

bindgen-cli 0.72.1-2.fc44

Automatically generates Rust FFI bindings to C and C++ libraries

https://crates.io/crates/bindgen-cli

sudo dnf install bindgen-cli

License: BSD-3-Clause AND Apache-2.0 AND ISC AND MIT AND Unicode-3.0 AND Unicode-DFS-2016 AND (Apache-2.0 OR MIT) AND (Unlicense OR MIT)
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rust-bindgen-cli
6 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bindgen

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bindgen-cli from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

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/bindgen.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 bindgen with Homebrew, apt, dnf