# Install cfengine with Homebrew, apk Help manage and understand IT infrastructure. Version 3.27.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:cfengine ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install cfengine ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add cfengine ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cfengine from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:cfengine - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.27.1 - **Source summary:** Help manage and understand IT infrastructure - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-only AND LGPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:03:00-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - cf-agent (cli) - cf-check (cli) - cf-execd (cli) - cf-key (cli) - cf-monitord (cli) - cf-net (cli) - cf-promises (cli) - cf-runagent (cli) - cf-secret (cli) - cf-serverd (cli) - cf-support (cli) - cf-upgrade (cli) - rpmvercmp (cli) - cf-agent (alias) - cf-check (alias) - cf-execd (alias) - cf-key (alias) - cf-monitord (alias) - cf-net (alias) - cf-promises (alias) - cf-runagent (alias) - cf-secret (alias) - cf-serverd (alias) - cf-support (alias) - cf-upgrade (alias) - rpmvercmp (alias) ## Dependencies - librsync - lmdb - openssl@3 - pcre2 ## Uses from macOS - curl - libxml2 ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: 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: 3.27.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://cfengine.com/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage CFEngine is a long-running open source configuration management and infrastructure automation system. Official docs describe lightweight C-based agents that continually converge machines toward desired state written in the CFEngine policy language. ### Project history The CFEngine core README says CFEngine was originally created by Mark Burgess and that CFEngine 3 is a popular open source configuration management system for automated configuration and maintenance of large-scale computer systems. The same README describes CFEngine 3 as a significant, incompatible generation after CFEngine 2. ### Adoption history The official overview says CFEngine runs across many platforms, from embedded devices through servers, cloud systems, and mainframes, and can handle tens or hundreds of thousands of hosts. The input package facts show it packaged for Homebrew and Alpine. ### How it is used Administrators write desired state in `.cf` policy files, normally stored under `/var/cfengine/masterfiles` on policy hubs and cached into `/var/cfengine/inputs` on clients before local `cf-agent` execution. ### Why package nerds care CFEngine matters in package-manager culture because it is one of the classic Unix-native configuration management agents: a pile of small `cf-*` binaries, a private `/var/cfengine` workspace, local convergence, and policy-as-code before that term became fashionable. ### Timeline - CFEngine 2 era: CFEngine 3 kept enough server protocol compatibility to support gradual upgrades. - 2012: Official `cfengine/core` GitHub repository metadata records repository creation. - CFEngine 3: Official README documents a more powerful but policy-language-incompatible generation. ### Related projects - Official source repositories include `cfengine/core`, `cfengine/masterfiles`, `cfengine/documentation`, `cfengine/cf-remote`, and `cfengine/buildscripts`. - CFEngine's documentation links the system to Promise Theory. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal ## 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: /var/cfengine/masterfiles, /var/cfengine/inputs ## Credential files - Unix: /var/cfengine/ppkeys ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** cfengine - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - apk - cfengine - 3.27.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cfengine from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A systems administration tool for networks | https://www.cfengine.com/ - apk - cfengine-doc - 3.27.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cfengine-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A systems administration tool for networks (documentation) | https://www.cfengine.com/ - apk - cfengine-masterfiles - 3.27.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cfengine-masterfiles from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Cfengine default masterfiles | https://www.cfengine.com/ ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [librsync](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/librsync/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [lmdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lmdb/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [openssl@3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openssl-3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pcre2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pcre2/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bork](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bork/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system. - [comtrya](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/comtrya/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system. - [confd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/confd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system. - [rex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rex/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system. - [nrpe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nrpe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: agent, cli, system. - [abduco](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abduco/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system. - [acl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/acl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system. - [acpica](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/acpica/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cfengine.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cfengine.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