# Install linkerd with Homebrew, Nix, scoop Command-line utility to interact with linkerd. Version 2.20 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-23. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:linkerd ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install linkerd ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#linkerd ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: linkerd from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install extras/linkerd ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/linkerd.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:linkerd - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.20 - **Source summary:** Command-line utility to interact with linkerd - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-23T00:33:51Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - linkerd (cli) - linkerd (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.20 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-23 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2 - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Linkerd is a Kubernetes-focused service mesh and CLI for adding observability, reliability, and security features to service-to-service traffic without changing application code. The Homebrew package supplies the linkerd command used to install, inspect, and operate the mesh. ### Project history Linkerd came from Buoyant's work on production microservice reliability. Linkerd's 2017 CNCF announcement says it was created by Buoyant founders William Morgan and Oliver Gould in 2015 and built on ideas from Twitter's Finagle library; CNCF's 2021 graduation announcement describes the project as created by Buoyant in 2016. The first CNCF donation was Linkerd 1. Linkerd's own historical note distinguishes that donated project from Linkerd 2, the later Kubernetes-oriented line with a Rust-based data plane proxy. The Linkerd architecture documentation describes Linkerd2-proxy as an ultralight transparent micro-proxy written in Rust and designed specifically for service-mesh sidecar use. ### Adoption history Linkerd joined CNCF on January 24, 2017 as the foundation's fifth hosted project, alongside early cloud-native infrastructure projects such as Kubernetes and Prometheus. CNCF announced Linkerd graduation on July 28, 2021, calling it the first service mesh project to reach graduated status and naming production adopters including Microsoft, Nordstrom, Expedia, JPMC, Clover Health, Entain, and H-E-B. The service mesh category grew quickly around Kubernetes operations. Linkerd's position was shaped by a deliberately small operational surface, a service-mesh-specific proxy rather than a general-purpose proxy, and CLI-first workflows for checking cluster health, injecting workloads, and inspecting traffic. ### How it is used The package is used by cluster operators and platform engineers to install Linkerd components, validate a cluster, inject workloads, inspect routes and metrics, and manage mesh extensions. It is usually paired with kubectl and Kubernetes manifests rather than used as a standalone network daemon. ### Why package nerds care Linkerd is significant because it packages a whole distributed control-plane workflow behind a single CLI. For package managers, that means the local binary is only the front door: the installed command coordinates CRDs, proxies, mTLS identity, metrics, and Kubernetes resources that live elsewhere. ### Timeline - 2015-2016: Buoyant created Linkerd for cloud-native service communication and reliability. - 2017-01-24: CNCF accepted Linkerd as its fifth hosted project. - 2018-04-06: CNCF moved Linkerd to the Incubating maturity level. - 2021-07-28: CNCF announced Linkerd graduation. - Linkerd 2 era: the project centered on Kubernetes and the Rust Linkerd2-proxy data plane. ### Related projects - Related projects include Kubernetes, Finagle, Linkerd2-proxy, Prometheus, OpenTracing, Fluentd, Envoy, and other service-mesh projects such as Istio. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** linkerd - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - linkerd: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: linkerd from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Scoop - extras/linkerd: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/linkerd.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Security and crypto packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/security-crypto-tools/) - Matched security, identity, cryptography, password, signing, or certificate metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [istioctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/istioctl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, security, service-mesh. - [kubespy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kubespy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, observability. - [kumactl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kumactl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, service-mesh. - [kyverno](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kyverno/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, security. - [mesheryctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mesheryctl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, service-mesh. - [polaris](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/polaris/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, security. - [cdk8s](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdk8s/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [chaoskube](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chaoskube/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/linkerd.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/linkerd.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph