# Install ninja with Homebrew, chocolatey, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper Small build system for use with gyp or CMake. Version 1.13.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ninja ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ninja ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install ninja ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/ninja/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ninja ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ni/ninja/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S ninja ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: ninja from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install ninja ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: ninja from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Chocolatey (92%): ```sh choco install ninja ``` Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: ninja from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','nexus-repository' - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/ninja ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/ninja.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id Ninja-build.Ninja -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Ninja-build.Ninja from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ninja - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.13.2 - **Source summary:** Small build system for use with gyp or CMake - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - ninja (cli) - ninja (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sequoia, sonoma, tahoe, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.13.2 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja - Upstream latest detected: v1.13.2 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage Ninja is a small, low-level build system optimized for fast incremental builds. Its central idea is deliberately narrow: higher-level tools such as GN, GYP, CMake, Meson, or custom generators decide the project model, and Ninja executes the already-lowered build graph quickly. ### Project history Evan Martin wrote Ninja while working on Google Chrome. In his Performance of Open Source Software chapter, he says he started Ninja in 2010 as an experiment to make Chrome builds faster, especially the front of the build where the tool loads build files and starts the first compile. This led to the design that made `.ninja` files simple, generated, and quick to parse. The project became public and then broadened beyond Chrome. The same history says Ninja gradually replaced other build systems used by Chrome, CMake gained a Ninja generator, and projects such as LLVM and ReactOS used it through CMake. The Ninja homepage later summarized the tool as an assembler-like build system used by Google Chrome, parts of Android, LLVM, and many CMake-backed projects. ### Adoption history Ninja's adoption is unusually strong for such a small tool because it sits at the bottom of many developer workflows. Developers may never hand-write `build.ninja`, but they install Ninja because CMake, Meson, GN, or language build systems generate it and expect a fast executor. On 2026-07-01, Homebrew listed Ninja 1.13.2 with 545,459 installs over 365 days and 352,367 installs-on-request. That install volume is a package-manager reflection of Ninja's role as a build substrate rather than a tool people necessarily think about directly. ### How it is used The normal package-nerd workflow is `cmake -G Ninja -S . -B build` or a Meson/GN equivalent, followed by `ninja -C build`. By default, `ninja` looks for `build.ninja` in the current directory and builds all out-of-date targets; flags such as `-C` and `-j` intentionally resemble Make, although Ninja already runs jobs in parallel by default. Ninja build files are plain text and debuggable, but the project explicitly does not optimize for hand authoring. This makes the package easy to reason about in dependency graphs: if a formula or language package depends on Ninja, it usually means some higher-level generator will emit the actual build plan. ### Why package nerds care Ninja is one of the canonical examples of doing less and winning: no general-purpose project language, no rich conditionals, no policy layer, just a fast executor. Its package significance is huge because it became the common backend for CMake/Meson/GN-era native builds across macOS, Linux, Windows, and cross-platform CI. ### Timeline - {'date': '2010', 'event': 'Evan Martin started Ninja while working on Google Chrome.'} - {'date': '2010s', 'event': 'Ninja spread from Chrome to CMake-backed projects including LLVM and ReactOS.'} - {'date': '2025-07-10', 'event': 'Ninja homepage listed v1.13.1 as released.'} - {'date': '2026-07-01', 'event': 'Homebrew formula listed stable Ninja 1.13.2.'} ### Related projects - CMake - GN - GYP - Meson - LLVM - Chromium ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes build system capable of executing project logic. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / high - build system capable of executing project logic ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** ninja - **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 - ninja: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ni/ninja/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman - ninja - 1.13.2-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: ninja from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Small build system with a focus on speed | https://ninja-build.org/ - zypper - ninja - 1.13.2-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: ninja from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A small build system closest in spirit to Make | https://ninja-build.org/ - MacPorts - ninja: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/ninja/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Chocolatey - ninja: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: ninja from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','nexus-repository' - Scoop - main/ninja: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/ninja.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - Ninja-build.Ninja: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Ninja-build.Ninja from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [litani](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/litani/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [meson](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meson/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [muon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/muon/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [vcpkg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/vcpkg/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [boot-clj](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/boot-clj/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, build-tool, cli, developer-tools. - [bsdmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bsdmake/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [cabin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cabin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [dune](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dune/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [fastbuild](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fastbuild/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [goredo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/goredo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [mage](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mage/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, build-tool, cli, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ninja.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/ninja.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