Install hcloud with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• hcloud

Project history

Hetzner created the Go API client and CLI repositories in November 2017, then published the hcloud v1.0.0 release in January 2018. The CLI sits directly on the public Hetzner Cloud API, whose documentation describes HTTPS/JSON operations for cloud services and resources.

The project evolved from a compact server-management CLI into the main terminal surface for Hetzner Cloud. Its manual documents global options, context selection, endpoint overrides, debug output, and resource subcommands, while the setup guide documents binary, Go, Debian, RPM, Homebrew, Windows package, and Docker installation paths.

The configuration model grew around contexts: a named context stores an API token and preferences, while flags and environment variables can override config-file values. The documented default Unix config file is ~/.config/hcloud/cli.toml, and the token can also be supplied through HCLOUD_TOKEN for automation.

Adoption history

hcloud adoption follows Hetzner Cloud's appeal to developers and small infrastructure teams that want direct control from shell scripts, CI jobs, and local terminals. The package-manager footprint in the batch input spans Alpine, Homebrew, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Scoop, WinGet, and openSUSE naming, which reflects broad demand for a native client outside the web console.

The companion setup-hcloud GitHub Action shows a second adoption path: CI workflows install the CLI and pass HCLOUD_TOKEN to run resource commands during deployment. That made hcloud part of the same toolchain family as Terraform providers and cloud CLIs for other vendors, but with Hetzner-specific API coverage and output conventions.

How it is used

A first-time user installs the binary, creates a context with hcloud context create, enters a project API token, and verifies access with a read-only command such as hcloud datacenter list. After that, commands such as hcloud server, hcloud firewall, hcloud network, hcloud ssh-key, and hcloud volume become shell-friendly API operations.

The config command documents the precedence order as flags, environment variables, context configuration, global configuration, and default values. That order is important for packaging and automation because the same installed CLI can be used interactively through cli.toml or non-interactively through HCLOUD_TOKEN and HCLOUD_CONTEXT.

Why package nerds care

hcloud is the kind of cloud CLI package maintainers like: a single Go binary with completions, man-page-style generated docs, release artifacts for multiple operating systems and architectures, and no daemon. The package is also operationally sensitive because it may read long-lived API tokens from its config file, so package quality and upgrade predictability matter.

For Homebrew users, the significance is practical: hcloud gives macOS and Linux shells first-class access to Hetzner Cloud resources without waiting for a language SDK or a Terraform run. Its existence as an official CLI also gives other tools a stable executable to call.

Timeline

• 2017: Hetzner Cloud CLI and Go API repositories created.
• 2018: hcloud v1.0.0 release published.
• 2018: Early 1.x releases established the public CLI distribution channel.
• 2020: v1.21.0 tag appeared in the continuing 1.x series.
• 2024: CLI configuration-system design work documented the ~/.config/hcloud/cli.toml model later reflected in generated manuals.
• 2025: Storage Boxes support moved from experimental status to general availability in the CLI release stream.

Related projects

• hetznercloud/hcloud-go is the official Go library for the same API family.
• hetznercloud/setup-hcloud installs the CLI in GitHub Actions workflows.
• The Hetzner Cloud API documentation is the service contract behind the CLI.
• Terraform and OpenTofu hcloud providers occupy the declarative infrastructure-administration role adjacent to hcloud's imperative shell workflow.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/hetznercloud/cli
• https://api.github.com/repos/hetznercloud/cli/releases
• https://docs.hetzner.cloud/reference/cloud
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/cli
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/cli/blob/main/docs/reference/manual/hcloud.md
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/cli/blob/main/docs/reference/manual/hcloud_config.md
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/cli/blob/main/docs/tutorials/setup-hcloud-cli.md
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/hcloud-go
• https://github.com/hetznercloud/setup-hcloud