Install openapi-generator with Homebrew, pacman

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• openapi-generator

Project history

The repository was created on May 12, 2018 as a fork of Swagger Codegen. The project history in the README says more than 40 Swagger Codegen contributors and template creators forked the project because of disagreement around the Swagger Codegen 3.0.0 beta and project direction, choosing to maintain a community-driven generator under the OpenAPI Generator name.

The migration guide describes OpenAPI Generator as a fork of `swagger-codegen` between versions 2.3.1 and 2.4.0 and documents practical migration changes: new Maven coordinates, Docker images, generator names, parameter names, template-variable changes, and `.openapi-generator-ignore` replacing `.swagger-codegen-ignore`.

Adoption history

OpenAPI Generator became one of the central tools in the OpenAPI ecosystem because it covers many generated targets rather than one language. Its README lists client generators, server stubs, documentation generators, schema generators, and auxiliary outputs such as Postman collections, Protocol Buffers, GraphQL schemas, and database schemas.

Distribution grew around the different places API generation happens: Maven Central artifacts for Java builds, Maven and Gradle plugins, Docker images, an npm CLI wrapper, pip packaging, direct JAR downloads, launcher scripts, Homebrew, and other package managers. The project also has a sponsorship and backer structure, reflecting its role as shared infrastructure for many companies and API teams.

How it is used

The common workflow is to run `openapi-generator generate` with an input OpenAPI document and a selected generator name. Teams use it to produce SDKs, server skeletons, docs, tests, schemas, and config from a spec that can be versioned with the API.

The CLI also includes discovery and support commands such as `list`, `config-help`, `author`, and `batch`. Build integrations let organizations generate code during Maven, Gradle, Docker, npm, or CI jobs instead of treating generated clients as hand-maintained source.

Why package nerds care

OpenAPI Generator is a package-manager stress test: one upstream project surfaces as a Java artifact, CLI JAR, Docker image, npm package, pip package, Homebrew formula, plugins, and generated packages in many target languages. It is a single tool whose output often becomes many other packages.

Its fork history also matters. The project represents the OpenAPI ecosystem's shift from Swagger-branded tooling toward community-governed OpenAPI tooling after the OpenAPI Initiative standardized the former Swagger specification.

Timeline

• 2010: the OpenAPI Specification's lineage began with Swagger. November 5, 2015: the OpenAPI Initiative was announced under the Linux Foundation with SmartBear donating the Swagger specification. May 12, 2018: OpenAPI Generator's repository was created as a Swagger Codegen fork. June 8, 2026: GitHub releases list v7.23.0.

Related projects

• OpenAPI Generator is directly related to Swagger Codegen, the OpenAPI Specification, OpenAPITools, Maven and Gradle plugins, Docker images, npm and pip CLI wrappers, and other OpenAPI code generators.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/openapi-generator
• https://github.com/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator
• https://openapi-generator.tech/docs/generators/
• https://openapi-generator.tech/docs/swagger-codegen-migration/
• https://openapi-generator.tech/docs/usage
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator/master/README.md
• https://www.linuxfoundation.org/press/press-release/new-collaborative-project-to-extend-swagger-specification-for-building-connected-applications-and-services
• https://www.openapis.org/style-guide