# Install cargo-generate with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman Use pre-existing git repositories as templates. Version 0.23.12 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:cargo-generate ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install cargo-generate ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install cargo-generate ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/cargo-generate/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add cargo-generate ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cargo-generate from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#cargo-generate ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ca/cargo-generate/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S cargo-generate ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: cargo-generate from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:cargo-generate - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.23.12 - **Source summary:** Use pre-existing git repositories as templates - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 OR MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:02:58-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - cargo-generate (cli) - cargo-generate (alias) ## Dependencies - libgit2 - libssh2 - openssl@3 ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - 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: 0.23.12 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/cargo-generate/cargo-generate - Upstream latest detected: v0.23.12 (current) ## Project history and usage cargo-generate is a Cargo subcommand for creating new Rust projects from existing git repositories used as templates. Its tagline, repeated in the README and guide, is `cargo, make me a project`. The tool filled a gap left by Cargo's built-in `cargo new`: it lets communities publish richer starter projects, prompts, placeholders, hooks, and favorites without adding template logic to Cargo itself. ### Project history The cargo-generate repository and first crates.io release appeared in May 2018. The official guide describes the core idea as leveraging a pre-existing git repository as a template to get a Rust project started quickly. The project grew into a small templating engine around Git repositories. The guide documents Shopify Liquid for templated content, Rhai for hook scripts, regex placeholders, and special handling for `.liquid` files. Its documentation also treats template discovery and reuse as first-class concepts: the README points users to the GitHub `cargo-generate` topic, while the guide supports favorite templates stored in `$CARGO_HOME/cargo-generate.toml` or `$CARGO_HOME/cargo-generate`. ### Adoption history cargo-generate became common in Rust sub-ecosystems where a useful starter project needs more than a bare crate. The official README uses rustwasm's wasm-pack-template as its example, reflecting early adoption by WebAssembly-oriented Rust workflows. By 2026 it had more than 2 million crates.io downloads and an active changelog, indicating sustained use as a project-scaffolding utility rather than a one-off template experiment. ### How it is used Typical usage is `cargo generate --git https://github.com/owner/template.git` or the shorthand `cargo generate owner/template`. The README also documents prefixes for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and SourceHut template locations. Template authors can use Liquid files, Rhai hooks, and placeholders; users can define favorite templates in the cargo-generate config file and then invoke them by name. ### Why package nerds care cargo-generate is package-nerd significant because it made template repositories a distribution format in the Rust ecosystem. A Git repo could become a reusable package-like project skeleton without needing to be published as a crate. It also demonstrates the Cargo subcommand pattern at its most social: package managers do not just install programs, they standardize how communities bootstrap new projects. ### Timeline - 2018-05-29: GitHub repository created and initial 0.0.0 crate published to crates.io. - 2018: README and guide establish the git-template workflow, with rustwasm's wasm-pack-template as an early example. - 2020s: Guide documents Liquid templating, Rhai hooks, favorite templates, and multiple git host shorthands. - 2026: 0.23.x releases continue with fixes and maintenance; crate exceeds 2 million downloads. ### Related projects - rustwasm/wasm-pack-template is the official README's example template. - Shopify Liquid, Rhai, and regex are documented building blocks for template expansion. - cargo-binstall is mentioned by the README as an alternative installation path. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for cargo-generate. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## 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: $CARGO_HOME/cargo-generate.toml, $CARGO_HOME/cargo-generate ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** cargo-generate - **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 - cargo-generate: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ca/cargo-generate/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - cargo-generate - 0.23.8-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cargo-generate from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Use pre-existing git repositories as templates | https://github.com/cargo-generate/cargo-generate - pacman - cargo-generate - 0.23.11-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: cargo-generate from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Use pre-existing git repositories as templates | https://github.com/cargo-generate/cargo-generate - MacPorts - cargo-generate: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/cargo-generate/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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. - [Package publisher tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/package-publishers/) - Belongs to a package publishing or registry 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. - [libgit2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgit2/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [openssl@3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openssl-3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cargo-auditable](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-auditable/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-binstall](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-binstall/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-binutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-binutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-bloat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-bloat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-bundle](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-bundle/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-c/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-cache](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-cache/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-careful](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-careful/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cargo, cli, developer-tools, rust. - [cargo-clone](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-clone/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cargo, cli, code, developer, developer-tools. - [cargo-crev](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-crev/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cargo, cli, code, developer, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cargo-generate.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cargo-generate.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