Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install confd with Homebrew, apk, Nix

Manage local application configuration files using templates. Version 0.16.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install confd

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add confd

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · confd · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#confd

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

overview

Package summary

Manage local application configuration files using templates

Commands and aliases

  • confd

history

Project history and usage

confd is a lightweight configuration-management daemon and CLI for rendering local configuration files from templates backed by service-discovery and key-value systems. It became familiar in early container and microservice deployments because it sat beside an application, watched systems such as etcd or Consul, rendered files, and triggered reload commands.

Project history

The project presents itself as a Go tool for keeping local configuration files up to date from etcd, Consul, DynamoDB, Redis, Vault, ZooKeeper, AWS SSM Parameter Store, environment variables, or files. Its default configuration model centers on TOML at /etc/confd/confd.toml plus template resources under /etc/confd.

Release notes show the project expanding alongside the infrastructure systems common in the mid-2010s: DynamoDB support appeared in the v0.10 era, Vault and Redis arrived in 0.12 alpha releases, etcd v3 and Windows support arrived in v0.13.0, and AWS SSM Parameter Store plus file backends arrived in v0.14.0.

Adoption history

confd was adopted mainly as glue for hosts and containers that needed dynamic configuration without pulling a full configuration-management stack into the application. Its official community pointers to IRC, a mailing list, and a project website reflect the period when service discovery and sidecar-style config rendering were still being standardized in operations culture.

The Homebrew, apk, and Nix package entries in the supplied package facts reflect its continued packaging as a small operational binary rather than a language library.

How it is used

Typical use is to define template resources, point confd at a backend, render target files, and optionally run checks or reload commands when the rendered configuration changes. The tool is especially associated with daemon configuration, reverse proxies, and twelve-factor-ish deployments where authoritative values live outside the local filesystem.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, confd is a good example of the mid-2010s Go single-binary ops tool: statically distributable, service-discovery aware, and useful even when installed outside a larger platform. Its formula/cross-platform packaging value comes from turning distributed configuration into a conventional executable with predictable /etc/confd paths.

Timeline

  • 2015: v0.10.0 release notes list DynamoDB backend support and a build-system change to gb.
  • 2016: 0.12 alpha releases added Vault, DynamoDB, and Redis backend work.
  • 2017: v0.13.0 added etcd v3 and Windows support; v0.14.0 added AWS SSM Parameter Store and file backends.
  • 2018: v0.16.0 included backend improvements for etcd v3, Vault, file, and Redis and shipped smaller UPX-compressed executables.

Related projects

  • Official documentation names etcd, Consul, DynamoDB, Redis, Vault, ZooKeeper, AWS SSM Parameter Store, and Go templates as core adjacent technologies.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 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
/etc/confd/confd.toml/etc/confd/conf.d/*.toml/etc/confd/templates/*.tmpl

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
confdcliglobal 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 version0.16.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv0.16.0

https://github.com/kelseyhightower/confd

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:confd
Version0.16.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/confd
Homepagehttps://github.com/kelseyhightower/confd
Repositoryhttps://github.com/kelseyhightower/confd
Upstream docshttps://github.com/kelseyhightower/confd#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/kelseyhightower/confd/archive/refs/tags/v0.16.0.tar.gz
Build dependenciesgo
Bottleavailable (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameconfd
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

confd

nix profile install nixpkgs#confd
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Confd
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/confd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
apk95%

confd 0.30.0-r5

manage local application configuration files using templates and data from multiple backends

https://github.com/abtreece/confd

sudo apk add confd
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: confd
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Confd
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: confd from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

confd-doc 0.30.0-r5

manage local application configuration files using templates and data from multiple backends (documentation)

https://github.com/abtreece/confd

sudo apk add confd-doc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: confd
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Confd
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: confd-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

confd-openrc 0.30.0-r5

manage local application configuration files using templates and data from multiple backends (OpenRC init scripts)

https://github.com/abtreece/confd

sudo apk add confd-openrc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: confd
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Confd
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: confd-openrc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • goBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • borkShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system.
  • cfengineShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system.
  • comtryaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system.
  • rexShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration-management, system.
  • cpuidShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, go, system.
  • g-lsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, go, system.

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.

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