Install cadence-workflow with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• cadence-canary
• cadence-cassandra-tool
• cadence-server
• cadence-sql-tool

Project history

The Cadence repository describes the platform as open source since 2017 and containing the core orchestration engine plus CLI, schema management, benchmark, and canary tools. Its backend runs multiple services with a database such as Cassandra, MySQL, or PostgreSQL, optionally paired with Kafka and Elasticsearch/OpenSearch-style visibility components.

Cadence grew out of the durable workflow lineage associated with systems such as Amazon SWF and later inspired the 2019 Temporal fork. Official Cadence documentation now frames Cadence and Temporal as sharing the same durable execution model while diverging in governance, ecosystem, cost model, and operational emphasis.

Adoption history

Cadence's adoption is anchored by large-scale Uber production use. The official comparison page says Cadence grew at Uber from fewer than 100 domains at the Temporal fork point to over 4,000 domains, facilitating billions of workflows and hundreds of billions of updates monthly.

The project also moved into broader open-source governance: the official FAQ identifies Cadence as a CNCF Sandbox project under the Linux Foundation, with an ecosystem of about 150 companies and open governance. The Homebrew formula packages the server-side tools and CLI-oriented binaries for local development and operations.

How it is used

A typical Cadence deployment runs backend services, persistence, optional visibility infrastructure, and workers containing application workflow code. Operators use the Cadence CLI to inspect and operate workflows, task lists, domains, and clusters; the Homebrew package includes server, SQL schema, Cassandra schema, and canary tools.

Why package nerds care

Cadence is significant in package-manager culture because it packages a distributed system, not just a command. The formula exposes multiple operational binaries, schema tools, config trees, and version-coupled server/client expectations, which makes it a useful case study for packaging infrastructure software that straddles local development, production operations, and service orchestration.

Timeline

• 2017: Cadence is open sourced according to the official repository README.
• 2019: Temporal is created as a fork of Cadence.
• 2020s: Cadence continues as Uber-scale durable execution infrastructure with Go and Java SDKs, CLI, Web UI, and schema tools.
• 2023: Cadence joins the CNCF Sandbox, per official Cadence documentation.
• 2026: Official docs describe 4,000+ Uber domains and billions of workflows monthly.

Related projects

• Related projects include the official Cadence Go and Java SDKs, Cadence Web UI, Cadence IDLs, Helm charts, iWF, and Temporal. The durable execution lineage is commonly discussed alongside Amazon SWF and Azure Durable Functions.

Sources

• https://cadenceworkflow.io/docs/operation-guide/maintain
• https://cadenceworkflow.io/faq/cadence-vs-temporal
• https://github.com/cadence-workflow/cadence#readme
• source_facts.package-manager