install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cargo-dist

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-dist

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S cargo-dist

Arch Linux sync databases · cargo-dist · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install dist

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id axodotdev.dist -e

Windows Package Manager source index · axodotdev.dist · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Tool for building final distributable artifacts and uploading them to an archive

Project links

Commands and aliases

dist

history

Project history and usage

cargo-dist, now branded in its README as `dist`, is a release and binary-distribution tool from Axo that generates shippable artifacts, installers, release manifests, and CI workflows for Rust and other projects. It occupies the packaging layer between `cargo build` and public distribution channels such as GitHub Releases and package managers.

Project history

The cargo-dist crate appeared on crates.io in September 2022, and the GitHub repository was created in October 2022. Its early identity was tightly Rust-centered, but the official README now labels the project `dist (formerly known as cargo-dist)`, reflecting its wider release-engineering ambitions.

The README describes the project as a tool that plans, builds, hosts, publishes, and announces releases. A defining design choice is generated CI: `dist init` can generate release workflows that wait for version tags, build artifacts on multiple platforms, create or edit GitHub Releases, and attach generated release notes and artifacts.

The project also documents self-hosting: dist's own releases are produced through dist-generated release machinery, with cargo-release used for version and changelog mechanics.

Adoption history

cargo-dist grew as Rust CLI authors wanted repeatable binary releases without maintaining bespoke GitHub Actions matrices and installer scripts. The supplied package-manager facts show packaging across Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu as `dist`, Nix, Arch Linux, and winget, indicating adoption beyond the Rust-only install path.

crates.io records more than one hundred thousand downloads, while the GitHub repository has thousands of stars. That combination of registry use, cross-platform package-manager presence, and generated CI support makes it one of the more visible Rust-origin release automation tools.

How it is used

A typical user initializes configuration with `dist init`, commits the generated configuration and CI workflow, then publishes by pushing a version tag. dist plans the release, builds archives and installers, produces a machine-readable manifest, and can host artifacts on a GitHub Release.

Configuration can live in Cargo.toml, package.json, dist-workspace.toml, or dist.toml, which matches the project's move from a Cargo-only helper toward a general binary distribution tool.

Why package nerds care

cargo-dist matters to package nerds because it treats release artifacts as first-class package metadata: archives, installers, checksums, changelogs, manifests, hosting locations, and package-manager publishing become a repeatable graph instead of ad hoc release notes.

It also captures a common Rust ecosystem pattern: a tool starts as a Cargo subcommand, then expands into broader developer tooling while keeping Cargo workspace integration as a core path.

Timeline

2022: cargo-dist crate first published on crates.io.
2022: axodotdev/cargo-dist GitHub repository created.
2024: README documents generated CI workflows, installers, release manifests, package publishing, and self-hosted releases.
2026: crates.io metadata shows active updates and the 0.32.x release line.

Related projects

oranda is referenced by the README as a companion for generated project websites.
cargo-release is documented in the repository's release workflow for version, changelog, and tag mechanics.
GitHub Releases and GitHub Actions are central hosting and CI targets in the official documentation.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:upload,archive

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: Cargo.tomlpackage.jsondist-workspace.tomldist.toml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`dist`	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 version0.32.0

manager updated2026-05-22

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.32.0

https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cargo-dist
Version	0.32.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cargo-dist
Homepage	https://axodotdev.github.io/cargo-dist/
Repository	https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist
Upstream docs	https://axodotdev.github.io/cargo-dist/book
License	Apache-2.0 OR MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist/archive/refs/tags/v0.32.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-22T09:34:54Z
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	cargo-dist
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Conflicts With	nmh
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%

cargo-dist

nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-dist

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cargo Dist

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ca/cargo-dist/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

pacman95%

cargo-dist 0.32.0-1

Shippable application packaging for Rust

https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist

sudo pacman -S cargo-dist

License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT
Architecture: x86_64
3 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Cargo Dist

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: cargo-dist from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

Debian apt92%

dist 1:3.5-236-1.1

Tools for developing, maintaining and distributing software

sudo apt install dist

Section: devel
Architecture: all
4 dependencies
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Dist

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

Ubuntu apt92%

dist 1:3.5-236-1

Tools for developing, maintaining and distributing software

sudo apt install dist

Section: universe/devel
Architecture: all
4 dependencies
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Dist

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

winget92%

axodotdev.dist

winget install --id axodotdev.dist -e

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Dist

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: axodotdev.dist from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

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/cargo-dist.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 cargo-dist with Homebrew, Nix, pacman, apt, winget