install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cabin

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#cabin

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

overview

Package summary

Package manager and build system for C/C++

Project links

Commands and aliases

cabin

history

Project history and usage

Cabin is a pre-1.0, Cargo-inspired package manager and build system for conventional C and C++ projects. It is written in Rust and aims to reduce C/C++ build boilerplate with predictable project structure and declarative metadata.

Project history

Cabin's README describes it as an opinionated C/C++ build tool inspired by Cargo, but the official docs stress that it is not Cargo-compatible. It borrows Cargo vocabulary where it fits and deliberately diverges where C/C++ build semantics require separate treatment.

The project was initially funded by Japan's MITOU IT Program, according to the README sponsorship section, with additional support from Shigeru Urushibara of UL Systems. That funding history explains why a niche C/C++ build tool has a fairly complete documentation surface despite being pre-1.0.

The 2026 documentation covers manifests, configuration discovery, workspaces, dependencies, lockfiles, source artifacts, testing, compiler wrappers, registry design, and CLI distribution artifacts, indicating a broad attempt to model package-manager behavior rather than just invoke a compiler.

Adoption history

Cabin's public adoption appears early and niche. Its own README carries a pre-1.0 caution, while Homebrew and Nix packaging show that the CLI has become installable through normal developer package channels.

The release history shows active 2024-2026 development, with 0.10.1 in September 2024, 0.13.0 in July 2025, and 0.16.0 in June 2026. Recent releases emphasize manifest changes, workspaces, language standards, testing, docs, release automation, and distribution packaging.

How it is used

Users run cabin new or cabin init to scaffold a package, cabin build to build it, cabin run to execute it, and cabin metadata, tree, or explain to inspect resolved state. A minimal cabin.toml declares package metadata and targets such as executables or libraries.

Cabin targets mixed C/C++ projects where CC and CXX remain independent, C and C++ standards stay separate, and the resolved build configuration gets a deterministic fingerprint.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, Cabin is interesting because it asks what Cargo-like ergonomics look like for C and C++ without pretending C/C++ has Rust's compilation model. It packages conventions, lockfiles, manifests, workspaces, and registry ideas around languages that historically outsourced those choices to build systems and distribution maintainers.

It is also a compact example of Rust tooling being used to build developer infrastructure for non-Rust ecosystems.

Timeline

2018: Cabin was initially funded by the MITOU IT Program.
2024-09-06: Cabin 0.10.1 was released.
2025-07-25: Cabin 0.13.0 was released.
2026-06-01: Cabin 0.14.0 was released.
2026-06-09: Cabin 0.15.0 was released.
2026-06-26: Cabin 0.16.0 was released.

Related projects

Cargo is the explicit interface inspiration, though Cabin is not Cargo-compatible.
CMake, Meson, Make, and Ninja are adjacent C/C++ build-system reference points.
Rust is relevant because Cabin itself is written in Rust.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: orange

generalized runtime or code generation signal. infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

text:build system
text:package manager

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.

Linux: $CABIN_CONFIG_HOME/config.toml$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cabin/config.toml~/.config/cabin/config.toml<workspace-root>/.cabin/config.toml<package-root>/.cabin/config.toml$CABIN_CONFIG
macOS: $CABIN_CONFIG_HOME/config.toml~/Library/Application Support/cabin/config.toml<workspace-root>/.cabin/config.toml<package-root>/.cabin/config.toml$CABIN_CONFIG
Windows: $CABIN_CONFIG_HOME/config.toml%APPDATA%\cabin\config.toml<workspace-root>\.cabin\config.toml<package-root>\.cabin\config.toml%CABIN_CONFIG%

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`cabin`	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 version0.17.0

manager updated2026-07-07

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected0.17.0

https://github.com/cabinpkg/cabin

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cabin
Version	0.17.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cabin
Homepage	https://cabinpkg.com
Repository	https://github.com/cabinpkg/cabin
Upstream docs	https://cabinpkg.com/docs
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/cabinpkg/cabin/archive/refs/tags/0.17.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-07-07T07:00:26Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	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	cabin
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%

cabin

nix profile install nixpkgs#cabin

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cabin

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ca/cabin/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/cabin.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 cabin with Homebrew, Nix