Install editorconfig with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, scoop, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• editorconfig
• editorconfig-0.12.11

Project history

The EditorConfig site describes the project as both a file format and a collection of editor plugins for maintaining consistent coding styles across editors and IDEs. The site repository was created in 2011, and the C core repository followed in 2012 as reusable parser and locator code for integrations.

The editorconfig-core-c README explains why the C core exists: plugin authors can share file location, INI parsing, and glob matching behavior instead of repeating that logic in every editor integration. The command-line program accepts a filename, searches for applicable .editorconfig files, and outputs the matching properties.

The formal specification later separated the format contract from individual implementations, giving package maintainers and editor authors a stable target for behavior such as section globbing, root=true search termination, supported properties, and value parsing.

Adoption history

EditorConfig spread through both plugin ecosystems and native editor support. The official site distinguishes editors that need plugins from editors where no plugin is necessary, and it lists a wide range of IDEs, source hosts, and editors with built-in or installable support.

The format also became common in version-controlled source trees because it is intentionally readable, language-neutral, and stored beside the project code. That let teams encode indentation, line endings, final newline policy, charset, and trimming rules without requiring everyone to use the same editor.

How it is used

Users place a .editorconfig file in a project directory. Plugins search from the opened file upward, stop at filesystem root or a file with root=true, and apply matching sections in order so closer files can override parent settings.

The Homebrew package exposes the editorconfig CLI from editorconfig-core-c. That makes the same convention useful outside editors, including scripts, plugin development, and diagnostic checks.

Why package nerds care

EditorConfig is package-nerd-important because it is one of the few dotfile formats that functions as shared social infrastructure across languages, editors, IDEs, and source hosts. A tiny INI-like file reduces editor wars to a portable contract.

Its C core is also a good example of the Unix packaging pattern where a broader standard ships as a small CLI and library, letting distributions package the reference behavior while editor and tooling ecosystems build on top.

Timeline

• 2011: Official website repository created.
• 2012: editorconfig-core-c repository created for the C core library and CLI.
• 2014: EditorConfig Core 0.11.0 adds brace expansion support, as noted in the official file-format documentation.
• 2026: editorconfig-core-c v0.12.11 published.

Related projects

• Related official projects include the EditorConfig website, the formal spec, editorconfig-core-c, editor plugins listed on editorconfig.org, and headless-tool integrations for build systems.

Sources

• https://editorconfig.org/
• https://spec.editorconfig.org/
• https://docs.editorconfig.org/
• https://github.com/editorconfig/editorconfig-core-c
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/editorconfig/editorconfig-core-c/master/README.md
• https://api.github.com/repos/editorconfig/editorconfig.github.com
• https://api.github.com/repos/editorconfig/editorconfig-core-c
• https://github.com/editorconfig/editorconfig-core-c/releases/tag/v0.12.11