Install nessie with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• nessie

Project history

The GitHub repository was created on 2020-04-09. Project release notes list a 0.1.0 initial release on 2020-10-01, followed by rapid 2020 and 2021 releases adding Git-like CLI semantics, a Web UI, DynamoDB storage support, Python client and CLI improvements, Iceberg support work, Helm chart support, Spark SQL extension improvements, and API/client compatibility work.

The official docs describe Nessie as doing for data lakes what Git does for source code repositories: changes can happen independently and remain isolated until they are atomically and consistently applied. The docs also say existing Hive or Spark jobs can integrate Nessie through configuration rather than production code changes.

GitHub metadata retrieved on 2026-07-01 showed the repository under the projectnessie organization, written primarily in Java, with about 1.5k stars and 178 forks. The Homebrew formula API reported stable version 0.108.1 and 54 install-on-request events in the prior 30 days when checked on 2026-07-01.

Adoption history

Nessie's adoption is tied to the open table format ecosystem, especially Apache Iceberg. The project homepage names cross-table transactions, Git-inspired data version control, Hive, Spark, Dremio, Trino, Docker, and Kubernetes as part of its operating context. The GitHub README says Nessie supports Iceberg tables and views and focuses on working with the widest range of tools possible.

Nessie became part of the lakehouse packaging conversation because it offers a catalog-level answer to ETL isolation, rollback, staging versus production data, and multi-table visibility. Dremio's public article framed it as Git-like branching and version control for data engineers, and Apache Iceberg documentation points users to Nessie as a catalog option that requires a Nessie server.

How it is used

Package nerds install the `nessie` CLI to interact with a Nessie server: inspecting references, creating branches and tags, committing catalog changes, and supporting Iceberg/Spark workflows. Server-side users run Nessie via a Docker image or Kubernetes deployment, wire engines such as Spark, Trino, Hive, or Dremio to the catalog, and use branches to isolate ETL or experimentation before merging into production.

Why package nerds care

Nessie is significant because it turns catalog metadata into a versioned package-like object: tables and views become named, branched, tagged, and merged resources. For a package catalog, it represents the modern data-infrastructure side of version management rather than a conventional developer CLI.

Timeline

• 2020-04-09: GitHub repository created.
• 2020-10-01: 0.1.0 initial release.
• 2021-10-08: 0.10.1 release notes mention client/API work, storage backend consolidation, and Spark SQL extension changes.
• 2023-07-03: GitHub releases API page of the latest 100 releases reaches Nessie 0.64.0, showing sustained release cadence.
• 2026-06-24: Nessie 0.108.1 release published.

Related projects

• Apache Iceberg
• Apache Spark
• Apache Hive
• Trino
• Dremio
• Delta Lake
• Kubernetes
• Docker

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/projectnessie/nessie
• https://api.github.com/repos/projectnessie/nessie/releases?per_page=100
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/nessie.json
• https://github.com/projectnessie/nessie
• https://iceberg.apache.org/docs/1.9.0/nessie/
• https://projectnessie.org/
• https://projectnessie.org/guides/about/
• https://projectnessie.org/guides/transactions/
• https://projectnessie.org/releases-0.49/
• https://www.dremio.com/blog/project-nessie-transactional-catalog-for-data-lakes-with-git-like-semantics/