zb info

Display detailed information about an installed package

Shows detailed metadata about a specific package installed by zerobrew, including version, store key, and installation time.

Usage

zb info <FORMULA>

Arguments

FORMULA · string · required

The name of the formula to get information about. The formula must be currently installed.

Example: jq, wget, git

Options

--root · path

Environment: ZEROBREW_ROOT

Override the root directory for zerobrew’s content-addressable store.

--prefix · path

Environment: ZEROBREW_PREFIX

Override the prefix directory where packages are linked.

--concurrency · number

Default: 20

Number of concurrent operations to perform.

--auto-init · boolean

Alias: --yes

Environment: ZEROBREW_AUTO_INIT

Automatically initialize zerobrew if not already set up.

Output Fields

The command displays the following information:

Name · string

The formula name (bold formatting)

Version · string

The installed version number

Store key · string

The first 12 characters of the content-addressable hash used to identify this package in the store. This key is based on the formula’s contents and metadata.

Installed · timestamp

When the package was installed, shown in local time with a relative timestamp.

Format examples:

• Recent: 14:32 (15 minutes ago)
• Today: 2024-03-15 09:20 (5 hours ago)
• Older: 2024-03-10 (5 days ago)

Examples

Get info for an installed package

zb info jq

Name:       jq
Version:    1.7.1
Store key:  a3f5d8c9b2e1
Installed:  2024-03-15 14:32 (15 minutes ago)

Package installed days ago

zb info git

Name:       git
Version:    2.44.0
Store key:  7c2b9a1d4e6f
Installed:  2024-03-10 (5 days ago)

Package installed hours ago

zb info wget

Name:       wget
Version:    1.21.4
Store key:  e8d7c6b5a4f3
Installed:  2024-03-15 09:20 (5 hours ago)

Package not installed

zb info nonexistent

Formula 'nonexistent' is not installed.

Use Cases

Check installation time

Find out when a package was installed:

zb info node

Verify package version

Confirm which version of a package is installed:

zb info python@3.11

Debug installation issues

The store key can help identify whether a package is correctly installed in the content-addressable store:

zb info problematic-package

If the package appears in zb list but not in zb info, there may be a database inconsistency.

Script integration

Check if a package is installed and get its version:

if zb info jq &>/dev/null; then
  echo "jq is installed"
  zb info jq | grep Version:
else
  echo "jq is not installed"
  zb install jq
fi

Understanding Store Keys

The store key is the first 12 characters of the SHA-256 hash that identifies the package in zerobrew’s content-addressable store.

Key properties:

• Content-addressable: The same package with the same version and dependencies will always have the same store key
• Deduplication: Multiple formulas that depend on the same package share the same store entry
• Integrity: The store key ensures package integrity

Store location:

$ZEROBREW_ROOT/store/objects/<full-hash>/

The full 64-character hash is stored in zerobrew’s database, but only the first 12 characters are displayed for readability.

Comparison with Homebrew

Feature	zerobrew	Homebrew
Package info	zb info <formula>	brew info <formula>
Shows installed version	Yes	Yes
Shows available version	No	Yes
Shows dependencies	No	Yes
Shows installation time	Yes	No (requires brew list --versions)
Shows store location	Via store key	Via brew --prefix <formula>

For more comprehensive package information (including available updates), Homebrew’s brew info provides additional details like homepage, description, and dependencies. zerobrew’s info focuses on installation metadata.

Related Commands

• zb list - List all installed packages
• zb install - Install a package
• zb uninstall - Uninstall a package
• zb outdated - Check for package updates