> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/lucasgelfond/zerobrew/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Advanced Settings

> Fine-tune zerobrew performance and behavior with advanced configuration options

Zerobrew provides advanced configuration options for power users who need fine-grained control over performance, concurrency, and behavior.

## Concurrency Settings

Zerobrew uses parallel operations to maximize performance. You can control the level of concurrency for different operations.

### Global Concurrency

<ParamField path="--concurrency" type="integer" default="20">
  Sets the maximum number of concurrent download operations. This is a global setting that affects how many packages can be downloaded simultaneously.

  **Constraints:**

  * Minimum value: `1`
  * Maximum value: Limited by system resources
  * Must be a positive integer

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Use 10 concurrent downloads
  zb --concurrency 10 install wget curl jq

  # Maximum parallelism (use with caution)
  zb --concurrency 50 install $(cat packages.txt)

  # Conservative setting for limited bandwidth
  zb --concurrency 4 install large-package
  ```

  **Performance considerations:**

  * Higher values can improve speed on fast connections but may overwhelm slower networks
  * Consider your network bandwidth and system resources when adjusting
  * Default value of 20 is optimized for most use cases
</ParamField>

### Internal Concurrency Limits

Zerobrew internally manages concurrency for different pipeline stages. These are hardcoded in the source code but are documented here for reference:

<ParamField path="download" type="integer" default="20">
  Maximum concurrent package downloads. Controlled by the `--concurrency` flag.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="unpack" type="integer" default="4">
  Maximum concurrent package extraction operations. This limit prevents excessive CPU and disk I/O usage during unpacking.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="materialize" type="integer" default="4">
  Maximum concurrent package materialization operations (linking files from the store to the cellar). This limit prevents excessive file system operations.
</ParamField>

<Info>
  The `unpack` and `materialize` concurrency limits are currently hardcoded and cannot be changed via CLI flags or environment variables. They are optimized for balanced CPU, I/O, and disk performance.
</Info>

## Command-Specific Options

Many zerobrew commands support additional flags for customizing behavior.

### Install Options

<ParamField path="--no-link" type="boolean" default="false">
  Install packages without creating symlinks in the prefix directory. Useful for testing or when you want to manage links manually.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb install --no-link wget
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--build-from-source" type="boolean" default="false">
  Build packages from source instead of using precompiled bottles. This allows customization and optimization for your specific system.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb install --build-from-source wget
  ```

  **Alias:** `-s`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb install -s wget
  ```
</ParamField>

### Bundle Options

<ParamField path="--file" type="string" default="Brewfile">
  Specify a custom Brewfile location for bundle operations.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Install from custom Brewfile
  zb bundle install --file packages.txt

  # Dump to custom location
  zb bundle dump --file ~/my-packages.txt
  ```

  **Alias:** `-f`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb bundle install -f packages.txt
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean" default="false">
  Overwrite existing Brewfile when dumping.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb bundle dump --force
  ```
</ParamField>

### Uninstall Options

<ParamField path="--all" type="boolean" default="false">
  Uninstall all installed packages.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb uninstall --all
  ```

  <Warning>
    This will remove all installed packages. Use with caution.
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

### Migrate Options

<ParamField path="--yes" type="boolean" default="false">
  Skip confirmation prompts during migration from Homebrew.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb migrate --yes
  ```

  **Alias:** `-y`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb migrate -y
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean" default="false">
  Force migration even if packages are already installed.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb migrate --force
  ```
</ParamField>

### Reset Options

<ParamField path="--yes" type="boolean" default="false">
  Skip confirmation prompt when resetting zerobrew installation.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb reset --yes
  ```

  **Alias:** `-y`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb reset -y
  ```

  <Warning>
    This will delete all zerobrew data including installed packages, cache, and database. This operation cannot be undone.
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

### Init Options

<ParamField path="--no-modify-path" type="boolean" default="false">
  Initialize zerobrew without modifying shell configuration files (`.bashrc`, `.zshrc`, etc.).

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb init --no-modify-path
  ```

  Useful when:

  * You want to manually add zerobrew to your PATH
  * Using a custom shell configuration setup
  * Running in containers or CI where shell config modification is not desired
</ParamField>

### Outdated Options

<ParamField path="--quiet" type="boolean" default="false">
  Show only package names without version information.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb outdated --quiet
  ```

  **Alias:** `-q`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb outdated -q
  ```

  **Conflicts with:** `--verbose`, `--json`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--verbose" type="boolean" default="false">
  Show detailed version information for outdated packages.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb outdated --verbose
  ```

  **Alias:** `-v`

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb outdated -v
  ```

  **Conflicts with:** `--quiet`, `--json`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--json" type="boolean" default="false">
  Output outdated packages as JSON for programmatic consumption.

  **Usage:**

  ```bash theme={null}
  zb outdated --json | jq '.'
  ```

  **Conflicts with:** `--quiet`, `--verbose`
</ParamField>

## Shell Completion

Zerobrew supports shell completion for multiple shells.

**Generate completion script:**

```bash theme={null}
# Bash
zb completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/zb

# Zsh
zb completion zsh > "${fpath[1]}/_zb"

# Fish
zb completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/zb.fish

# PowerShell
zb completion powershell > zb.ps1
```

## Performance Tuning

### Optimizing for Fast Networks

If you have a fast internet connection and powerful hardware:

```bash theme={null}
# Increase concurrency for faster installations
export ZB_ALIAS='zb --concurrency 40'
alias zb='$ZB_ALIAS'

zb install wget curl jq git node python
```

### Optimizing for Limited Resources

For systems with limited bandwidth or older hardware:

```bash theme={null}
# Reduce concurrency to avoid overwhelming the system
zb --concurrency 2 install package-name
```

### CI/CD Optimization

For continuous integration environments:

```bash theme={null}
# Fast, automated, non-interactive
export ZEROBREW_AUTO_INIT=true
zb --concurrency 30 install $(cat build-deps.txt)
```

## Build Environment Variables

When building packages from source, zerobrew sets several environment variables:

<ParamField path="ZEROBREW_PREFIX" type="string">
  Set during build to help build scripts locate dependencies and determine installation paths.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="HOMEBREW_PREFIX" type="string">
  Set to the same value as `ZEROBREW_PREFIX` for Homebrew formula compatibility.
</ParamField>

## Example Configurations

### High-Performance Workstation

```bash theme={null}
# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export ZEROBREW_ROOT="/opt/zerobrew"
export ZEROBREW_PREFIX="/opt/zerobrew"
export PATH="$ZEROBREW_PREFIX/bin:$PATH"

# Alias for high-concurrency installs
alias zbfast='zb --concurrency 40'
```

### Resource-Constrained Environment

```bash theme={null}
# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export ZEROBREW_ROOT="$HOME/.zerobrew"
export ZEROBREW_PREFIX="$HOME/.local"
export PATH="$ZEROBREW_PREFIX/bin:$PATH"

# Alias for conservative installs
alias zb='command zb --concurrency 4'
```

### Multi-User System

```bash theme={null}
# System-wide configuration
export ZEROBREW_ROOT="/opt/zerobrew"
export ZEROBREW_PREFIX="/usr/local"
export PATH="$ZEROBREW_PREFIX/bin:$PATH"

# Moderate concurrency for shared resources
alias zb='command zb --concurrency 10'
```

<Tip>
  The `--concurrency` flag affects only download operations. Extraction and materialization are automatically managed for optimal performance across all system configurations.
</Tip>