install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kamal-proxy

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kamal-proxy

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ka/kamal-proxy/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Lightweight proxy server for Kamal

Project links

Commands and aliases

kamal-proxy

history

Project history and usage

Kamal Proxy is a small HTTP proxy from Basecamp for coordinating zero-downtime deployments behind Kamal. It exists to handle health checks, traffic switching, draining, host-based routing, path-based routing, and TLS features without requiring application code to participate in the deployment handoff.

Project history

The repository was created on 2024-03-21. Its README describes the proxy as part of Kamal's deployment experience, but also as usable standalone or in other deployment tooling.

Kamal itself is Basecamp's container deployment tool, originally built for Rails apps but documented as usable for any Docker-containerized web app. Kamal Proxy became the dedicated routing piece in that ecosystem, replacing ad hoc proxy handoff logic with a small Go service and CLI.

Adoption history

Adoption follows Kamal adoption: teams using Kamal for single-server or small-fleet Docker deployments need a predictable way to switch traffic after a new container passes health checks. Homebrew and Nix packaging make the proxy available outside Kamal's own install path for operators who manage tools through system package managers.

How it is used

The README documents `kamal-proxy run` for starting the proxy and `kamal-proxy deploy` for registering a target service. Deployments wait for a new target to become healthy, route new traffic there, and drain traffic from the old target before returning.

Why package nerds care

Kamal Proxy is package-interesting because it is a subcomponent split out of a deployment system but useful enough to package as its own executable. It also reflects the 2020s return of simpler self-hosting tools: SSH, Docker, one proxy, and explicit release handoff instead of a full orchestrator.

Timeline

2024: basecamp/kamal-proxy repository created.
2024: v0.1.0 and later tags appeared in the repository.
2026: Kamal release notes required kamal-proxy v0.9.2 for Kamal v2.11.0 deployments.

Related projects

Kamal is the parent deployment tool that uses Kamal Proxy for request switching.
It sits in the same operational space as reverse proxies and load balancers used for blue-green or rolling web deployments, but with a narrower Kamal-oriented interface.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:server

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 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.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`kamal-proxy`	cli	global 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 version0.9.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.9.2

https://github.com/basecamp/kamal-proxy

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kamal-proxy
Version	0.9.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kamal-proxy
Homepage	https://kamal-deploy.org/
Repository	https://github.com/basecamp/kamal-proxy
Upstream docs	https://github.com/basecamp/kamal-proxy#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/basecamp/kamal-proxy/archive/refs/tags/v0.9.2.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	kamal-proxy
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
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%

kamal-proxy

nix profile install nixpkgs#kamal-proxy

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kamal Proxy

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ka/kamal-proxy/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

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

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.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/kamal-proxy.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install kamal-proxy with Homebrew, Nix