# Install cffi with Homebrew, apt C Foreign Function Interface for Python. Version 2.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-08. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:cffi ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install cffi ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install cl-cffi ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: cl-cffi from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:cffi - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.1.0 - **Source summary:** C Foreign Function Interface for Python - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT-0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-08T03:18:52Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - cffi-gen-src (cli) - cffi-gen-src (alias) ## Dependencies - pycparser ## Build dependencies - python@3.13 - python@3.14 ## Uses from macOS - libffi ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sequoia, sonoma, tahoe, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.1.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-08 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://cffi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage CFFI is the C Foreign Function Interface for Python, used to call C libraries from Python with declarations that stay close to C header syntax. It occupies the practical middle ground between Python's ctypes, handwritten CPython extensions, and larger binding generators such as SWIG or Cython. ### Project history The official documentation credits Armin Rigo and Maciej Fijalkowski and describes a design influenced by LuaJIT's FFI: users should mainly need to know C and Python, keep Python-related logic in Python, and choose between ABI-level and API-level access depending on portability and build needs. PyPI lists the first cffi release, 0.1, on 2012-06-18. The 1.0.0 series in 2015 introduced the out-of-line generation model that became central to packaging CFFI-based wrappers with setuptools. Later releases continued to track newer CPython versions, PyPy use, wheels, platform support, and Python packaging changes. ### Adoption history CFFI became especially important in PyPy culture because the official installation notes describe it as distributed with PyPy and as the recommended way to interface with C libraries there. On CPython, it is common in packages that need C library access without maintaining a large handwritten extension layer. The package's official PyPI page shows sustained maintenance across many releases from 2012 through 2026, with current wheels for major CPython versions and platforms. Homebrew packages it because command-line and build workflows sometimes need the project tooling alongside Python package-manager installs. ### How it is used Typical usage starts with `from cffi import FFI`, a `cdef()` block copied or adapted from C declarations, and either `ffi.dlopen()` for ABI mode or `ffibuilder.set_source()` plus compilation for API mode. The official overview presents both in-line and out-of-line modes and recommends API mode when a C compiler is available. CFFI is used to wrap existing shared libraries, compile small C wrapper modules, allocate C data from Python, pass buffers and structs, call function pointers, and expose Python functions to embedded interpreters. ### Why package nerds care CFFI is package-nerd significant because it changed the shape of Python native-library packaging: projects can describe a C interface in Python and let the build backend generate extension glue, instead of carrying a large CPython C API surface. It is also a useful marker for interpreter-portable native bindings. Package maintainers care about whether a project uses CFFI because it affects wheels, build dependencies, PyPy compatibility, libffi availability, and whether downstream systems need compiler toolchains. ### Timeline - 2012: PyPI lists cffi 0.1 as released on 2012-06-18. - 2015: cffi 1.0.0 introduced out-of-line module generation. - 2020: cffi 1.14.1 release notes say source hosting moved to Heptapod. - 2025: PyPI lists cffi 2.0.0 as released on 2025-09-08. - 2026: PyPI lists cffi 2.1.0 as released on 2026-07-06. ### Related projects - CFFI is discussed by its docs alongside LuaJIT FFI, ctypes, Cython, SWIG, CPython native C extensions, PyPy, pycparser, and libffi. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for cffi. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** cffi - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - cl-cffi - 1:0.24.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: cl-cffi from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Common Foreign Function Interface for Common Lisp | https://common-lisp.net/project/cffi/ - Ubuntu apt - cl-cffi - 1:0.24.1-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: cl-cffi from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Common Foreign Function Interface for Common Lisp | https://common-lisp.net/project/cffi/ ## Related links - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [python@3.13](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-13/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [b4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/b4/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [checkov](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/checkov/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [clingo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clingo/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [cobo-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cobo-cli/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [forbidden](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/forbidden/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [jupyterlab](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jupyterlab/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [standardebooks](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/standardebooks/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cffi, pycparser, python. - [tubeup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tubeup/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cffi, pycparser, python. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cffi.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cffi.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph