# Install build2 with Homebrew, dnf, Nix, winget C/C++ Build Toolchain. Version 0.18.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-27. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:build2 ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install build2 ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install bdep ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bdep from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#build2 ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bu/build2/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Windows - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id build2.build2.MSVC -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: build2.build2.MSVC from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:build2 - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.18.1 - **Source summary:** C/C++ Build Toolchain - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-27T13:57:07Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - b (cli) - bdep (cli) - bpkg (cli) - bx (cli) - b (alias) - bdep (alias) - bpkg (alias) - bx (alias) ## Uses from macOS - curl - openssl ## 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: 0.18.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-27 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://build2.org - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage build2 is a cross-platform, MIT-licensed C/C++ build toolchain made of a build system, package manager, project manager, and supporting libraries. ### Project history The build2 project started in the mid-2010s with documentation copyright dating from 2014 and public toolchain tags beginning at 0.1.0. Its stated goal is to approximate Rust Cargo's convenience for C and C++ while keeping enough depth for complex real-world build requirements. The toolchain is intentionally hierarchical: `b` is the general-purpose build system, `bpkg` handles package consumption, and `bdep` handles project development. The `build2-toolchain` repository is an amalgamation used to build and package those components together. ### Adoption history build2 has remained a specialist C/C++ toolchain rather than a default ecosystem standard like CMake, but its own community page says it is used for real development and cites customer-facing software such as ODB and XSD. The project also maintains cppget.org as its package repository. It is packaged by Homebrew, Nix, Fedora-style `bdep` packages, and Windows winget according to the input. Upstream development happens in self-hosted git repositories on git.build2.org with GitHub mirrors for collaboration. ### How it is used Users typically create or initialize projects with `bdep`, build with `b`, and consume dependencies with `bpkg`. The documented configuration surface includes project-local `build/config.build`, `.build2/` state, `.build2/local/`, user-level `~/.build2/`, and system-level `/etc/build2/` locations. The toolchain is aimed primarily at C/C++ and mixed-language projects involving C or C++, though the project describes a longer-term universal build-toolchain goal. ### Why package nerds care build2 is significant because it is one of the more complete attempts to give C and C++ a Cargo-like combined build, package, and project-management workflow without hiding the complexity needed by native-code builds. For package managers, it is also recursive in an interesting way: the build2 toolchain is used for its own development, and the upstream amalgamation repository exists specifically to make source builds and binary packaging of the whole toolchain practical. ### Timeline - 2014: build2 documentation copyright begins, marking the early public project era. - 2010s: Public 0.x toolchain tags began with 0.1.0 and evolved through the pre-1.0 series. - 2018: The project pointed users to a CppCon 2018 presentation as a toolchain overview. - 2020s: The community page described build2 as in the final stage of pre-1.0 development and already used in projects such as ODB and XSD. - 2026: The Toolchain Introduction metadata showed version 0.18 and copyright through 2026. ### Related projects - Cargo is the explicit convenience benchmark named by the build2 homepage. - CMake and Autotools are common neighboring C/C++ build-system incumbents, though build2 packages build, dependency, and project management together. - cppget.org is the build2 package repository referenced by the project community page. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## 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: build/config.build, .build2/, .build2/local/, ~/.build2/, /etc/build2/ ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** build2 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - build2: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bu/build2/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - dnf - bdep - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bdep from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 project dependency manager | https://build2.org/ - dnf - bdep-doc - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bdep-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | bdep documentation | https://build2.org/ - dnf - bpkg - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bpkg from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 package dependency manager | https://build2.org/ - dnf - bpkg-doc - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bpkg-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | bpkg documentation | https://build2.org/ - dnf - build2 - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: build2 from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Cross-platform build toolchain for developing and packaging C++ code | https://build2.org/ - dnf - build2-doc - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: build2-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 documentation | https://build2.org/ - dnf - build2-rpm-macros - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: build2-rpm-macros from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 RPM macros | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbpkg - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbpkg from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 package dependency manager library | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbpkg-devel - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbpkg-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Development files for build2 package dependency manager library | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbuild2 - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbuild2 from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 library | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbuild2-devel - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbuild2-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Development files for build2 library | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbutl - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbutl from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | build2 utility library | https://build2.org/ - dnf - libbutl-devel - 0.17.0-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libbutl-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Development files for build2 utility library | https://build2.org/ - winget - build2.build2.MSVC: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: build2.build2.MSVC from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix - winget - build2.build2.MinGW: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: build2.build2.MinGW from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Package publisher tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/package-publishers/) - Belongs to a package publishing or registry command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [xmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xmake/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, build-systems, c, cli, developer-tools. - [buildkit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/buildkit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, build-systems, cli, developer-tools. - [meson](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meson/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, build-systems, cli, developer-tools. - [aarch64-elf-gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aarch64-elf-gcc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, c-plus-plus, cli, developer-tools. - [astyle](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/astyle/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, c-plus-plus, cli, developer-tools. - [buildkitd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/buildkitd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-systems, cli, developer-tools. - [cabin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cabin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools, package-manager. - [castxml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/castxml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, c-plus-plus, cli, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/build2.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/build2.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