install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cdxgen

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#cdxgen

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id CycloneDX.cdxgen -e

Windows Package Manager source index · CycloneDX.cdxgen · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Creates CycloneDX Software Bill-of-Materials (SBOM) for projects

Project links

Commands and aliases

cbom
cdx-audit
cdx-convert
cdx-sign
cdx-validate
cdx-verify
cdxgen
cdxgen-secure
cdxi
evinse
hbom
obom
saasbom
spdxgen

history

Project history and usage

CycloneDX Generator, usually called cdxgen, is a CLI, library, REPL, and server for generating CycloneDX and SPDX software bill of materials documents from source trees, container images, binaries, hosts, and related inputs.

Project history

The GitHub API records the cdxgen repository as created on 2019-12-30. Its package metadata identifies @cyclonedx/cdxgen as the npm package and points to the official GitHub repository, while the README now presents cdxgen as a broader BOM toolkit covering SBOM, CBOM, OBOM, SaaSBOM, HBOM, AI-BOM, and validation/signing workflows.

The project grew from a CycloneDX SBOM generator into a multi-command supply-chain analysis suite with commands such as cdxgen, cdx-validate, cdx-convert, cdx-sign, cdx-verify, cdx-audit, evinse, hbom, obom, cbom, saasbom, aibom, and spdxgen.

Adoption history

cdxgen's adoption tracks the rise of SBOM requirements in software supply-chain security. The README positions it for developers, AppSec, compliance teams, SOC analysts, hardware teams, and AI platform teams, and the supplied package-manager metadata shows Homebrew, Nix, and winget packaging in addition to npm and GitHub release binaries.

How it is used

The common developer path is cdxgen -o bom.json . for a local project, with additional modes for containers, git URLs, purls, hosts, AI assets, and validation/conversion/signing. The README emphasizes CI/CD use and standalone binaries for several commands.

Why package nerds care

cdxgen is package-nerd significant because it turns package graphs into standardized artifacts that other tools can consume. It sits at the intersection of language package managers, container metadata, CycloneDX, SPDX, Dependency-Track-style workflows, and modern compliance demands.

Timeline

2019: GitHub API records the cdxgen repository as created on 2019-12-30.
2024: Git tags include the v10 series, showing the project had reached a mature major-version cadence.
2026: Homebrew formula packages cdxgen 12.7.0, and the README documents CycloneDX 1.5-1.7 plus SPDX 3.0.1 support.

Related projects

CycloneDX is the primary BOM specification cdxgen emits.
OWASP Dependency-Track and depscan are adjacent downstream/security workflows referenced by the project documentation.
SPDX is supported as an export format through cdxgen and cdx-convert.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for cdxgen. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 5 runtime 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: .cdxgenrc.cdxgen.json.cdxgen.yml.cdxgen.yaml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`cbom`	cli	global executable
`cdx-audit`	cli	global executable
`cdx-convert`	cli	global executable
`cdx-sign`	cli	global executable
`cdx-validate`	cli	global executable
`cdx-verify`	cli	global executable
`cdxgen`	cli	global executable
`cdxgen-secure`	cli	global executable
`cdxi`	cli	global executable
`evinse`	cli	global executable
`hbom`	cli	global executable
`obom`	cli	global executable
`saasbom`	cli	global executable
`spdxgen`	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 version12.7.0

manager updated2026-07-05

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/CycloneDX/cdxgen

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/CycloneDX/cdxgennone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cdxgen
Version	12.7.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cdxgen
Homepage	https://github.com/CycloneDX/cdxgen
Repository	https://github.com/CycloneDX/cdxgen
Upstream docs	https://cdxgen.github.io/cdxgen
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://registry.npmjs.org/@cyclonedx/cdxgen/-/cdxgen-12.7.0.tgz
Last updated	2026-07-05T00:14:30+09:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	dotnet, node, ruby, sourcekitten, trivy
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	cdxgen
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	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%

cdxgen

nix profile install nixpkgs#cdxgen

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cdxgen

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

winget95%

CycloneDX.cdxgen

winget install --id CycloneDX.cdxgen -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cdxgen

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: CycloneDX.cdxgen 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/cdxgen.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 cdxgen with Homebrew, Nix, winget