Install eas-cli with Homebrew, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• eas

Project history

The `eas-cli` npm package was created in August 2020, and the official GitHub repository was created days later. It grew out of Expo's move from the older Expo build/update services toward Expo Application Services, a broader set of cloud services for building, signing, submitting, and updating native mobile apps.

The repository README presents the package as the EAS command-line tool and documents global npm or Yarn installation. Over time, the command surface expanded far beyond `eas build` into credentials, submit, update, channels, metadata, workflows, hosting/deploy commands, environment management, diagnostics, and account administration.

Adoption history

EAS CLI adoption follows Expo and React Native adoption rather than a standalone infrastructure-tool adoption curve. Developers install it when they need cloud Android/iOS builds, store submissions, signing credential management, internal distribution, or over-the-air updates for Expo and React Native projects.

The npm registry records hundreds of published versions, which reflects the rapid release cadence of Expo's managed service client. Homebrew packages the npm tarball as `eas-cli`, giving macOS and Linux users a package-manager route in addition to the official npm install path.

How it is used

Common workflows include `eas build --platform all` to produce Android and iOS binaries, `eas submit` to upload builds to app stores, and `eas update` to publish JavaScript and asset updates through EAS Update. Project build profiles and CLI version constraints live in `eas.json`.

EAS Build can manage Android keystores, iOS provisioning profiles, and distribution certificates, or use credentials provided by the project. That is why the CLI sits at the boundary between package tooling and sensitive mobile-release infrastructure.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, EAS CLI is a good example of a service-backed CLI becoming the canonical interface for a platform. The interesting package is not just a binary; it is the versioned client for a large hosted release workflow.

It also shows the JavaScript CLI packaging pattern clearly: the source is a GitHub monorepo package, npm is the primary distribution channel, and Homebrew repackages the npm artifact for users who prefer system package managers.

Timeline

• 2020-08: npm registry records the creation of the `eas-cli` package.
• 2020-08: The official `expo/eas-cli` GitHub repository was created.
• 2021-12: Expo docs identify Classic Updates as the pre-EAS Update service era, with EAS Update recommended for new update workflows.
• 2026-06: npm registry records `eas-cli` 20.x with more than 400 published versions.

Related projects

• Expo CLI and `create-expo-app` are the adjacent local development tools that lead many projects into EAS workflows.
• `expo-updates` is the runtime library used by EAS Update.
• React Native is the broader app platform EAS Build supports, including projects that were not originally created with Expo.
• Microsoft CodePush is a related over-the-air update service that Expo documentation compares with EAS Update.

Sources

• https://github.com/expo/eas-cli
• https://registry.npmjs.org/eas-cli
• https://docs.expo.dev/eas/
• https://docs.expo.dev/build/introduction/
• https://docs.expo.dev/eas-update/introduction/
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/eas-cli.json