# Install buffrs with Homebrew, Nix Modern protobuf package management. Version 0.13.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-03. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:buffrs ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install buffrs ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#buffrs ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bu/buffrs/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:buffrs - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.13.3 - **Source summary:** Modern protobuf package management - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-03T18:40:32Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - buffrs (cli) - buffrs (alias) ## Build dependencies - 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: 0.13.3 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-03 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/helsing-ai/buffrs - Upstream latest detected: v0.13.3 (current) ## Project history and usage Buffrs is a Rust CLI for package-based Protocol Buffers distribution, designed around manifests, lock files, registry login, dependency installation, packaging, and publishing. ### Project history Helsing created Buffrs to address a Protobuf distribution problem: raw `.proto` files are language-independent, but sharing them between projects often becomes ad hoc vendoring or generated-code publication. Buffrs treats Protobuf schemas as first-class packages. The README and book describe a package-manager workflow with `Proto.toml` manifests, recursive local dependencies, workspaces, Artifactory integration, reproducible lock files, and planned self-hosted registry work. ### Adoption history Buffrs has a focused adoption profile: it is available through Cargo, Homebrew, and Nix, and its own documentation highlights Artifactory-backed registries rather than a large public central registry. That makes it most relevant to organizations managing internal Protobuf APIs. Its public roadmap shows the project evolving from package manifests and Artifactory distribution toward additional Protobuf tooling such as bindgen, linting, validation, and formatting. ### How it is used The documented quickstart is `buffrs login`, `buffrs init --api`, `buffrs add `, and `buffrs install`. The CLI also supports creating packages, linting, removing dependencies, packaging, publishing, listing managed protobuf files, and lockfile operations. `Proto.toml` is the project manifest. Credentials are stored under `~/.buffrs/credentials.toml` according to the existing curation. ### Why package nerds care Buffrs is package-nerd bait because it applies familiar package-manager primitives, manifests, lock files, registry login, dependency graphs, checksums, and publish/install commands, to raw Protobuf schema files. It overlaps conceptually with Buf modules but comes from a Rust/Helsing tooling angle and explicitly supports Artifactory-backed package distribution. ### Timeline - 2020s: Helsing announced Buffrs as a package manager for Protocol Buffers. - 2020s: The README documented support for project manifests, dependency declaration, Artifactory package distribution, tonic generation, and protoc generation. - 2020s: The roadmap listed a future self-hostable S3-based `buffrs-registry` and additional Protobuf tooling. ### Related projects - Buf is the neighboring Protobuf module and registry ecosystem. - `protoc` and tonic are documented Buffrs generation backends. - Artifactory is a supported registry backend for publishing and consuming Buffrs packages. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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: Proto.toml ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.buffrs/credentials.toml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** buffrs - **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 - buffrs: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bu/buffrs/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [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. - [rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [planus](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/planus/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust, serialization. - [protobuf-c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/protobuf-c/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, protobuf, serialization. - [capnp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/capnp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, serialization. - [cargo-binstall](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-binstall/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, rust. - [cargo-edit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-edit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, rust. - [cargo-outdated](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-outdated/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, rust. - [dhall-json](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dhall-json/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, serialization. - [flatbuffers](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flatbuffers/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, serialization. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/buffrs.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/buffrs.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