# Homebrew Scraper (`crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper`) Actor Scrape Homebrew formulae and casks - search by name/description or fetch specific packages with install analytics and metadata. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Homebrew Scraper Extract detailed metadata for Homebrew formulae and casks — including versions, dependencies, download URLs, install analytics, and more. ### What is Homebrew Scraper? [Homebrew](https://brew.sh) is the most popular package manager for macOS and Linux. It hosts thousands of open-source software packages (formulae) and macOS applications (casks). This actor lets you programmatically explore the Homebrew registry, search for packages by name or description, and retrieve detailed metadata for any formula or cask. ### Features - **Search Formulae**: Find Homebrew formulae by name or description - **Search Casks**: Find macOS applications (casks) by name or description - **Get By Name**: Fetch exact metadata for specific formulae or casks - **Analytics**: Includes 30-day install counts - **Full Metadata**: Version, dependencies, build dependencies, download URLs, checksums, and more - **No auth required**: Uses the public Homebrew API ### Use Cases - Monitor Homebrew package versions for dependency auditing - Build package discovery tools or dashboards - Track install popularity via analytics - Automate security checks (version + checksum) - Research open-source ecosystem trends ### Input | Field | Type | Description | Default | |-------|------|-------------|---------| | `mode` | Select | `searchFormulae`, `searchCasks`, or `getByName` | `searchFormulae` | | `searchQuery` | String | Filter by name or description (case-insensitive) | `git` | | `names` | Array | Package names for `getByName` mode | `["git", "wget"]` | | `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum records to return (1–5000) | `50` | #### Input Example — Search Formulae ```json { "mode": "searchFormulae", "searchQuery": "git", "maxItems": 20 } ```` #### Input Example — Get By Name ```json { "mode": "getByName", "names": ["git", "wget", "iterm2"] } ``` #### Input Example — Search Casks ```json { "mode": "searchCasks", "searchQuery": "browser", "maxItems": 10 } ``` ### Output #### Formula Record ```json { "name": "git", "fullName": "git", "tap": "homebrew/core", "description": "Distributed revision control system", "license": "GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND BSD-3-Clause AND MIT", "homepage": "https://git-scm.com", "version": "2.54.0", "dependencies": ["pcre2", "gettext"], "buildDependencies": ["gettext", "pkgconf"], "downloadUrl": "https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.54.0.tar.xz", "sha256": "f689162364c10de79ef89aa8dbf48731eb057e34edbbd20aca510ce0154681a3", "deprecated": false, "disabled": false, "analytics30d": 112799, "sourceUrl": "https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git", "recordType": "formula", "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T07:51:01.871263+00:00" } ``` #### Cask Record ```json { "caskToken": "iterm2", "name": "iTerm2", "tap": "homebrew/cask", "description": "Terminal emulator as alternative to Apple's Terminal app", "homepage": "https://iterm2.com/", "version": "3.6.10", "sha256": "f62ce1cb28ac85a99b17447bebebbc2b2e4f6dd59ad7d64a612e39e07ce223ca", "downloadUrl": "https://iterm2.com/downloads/stable/iTerm2-3_6_10.zip", "analytics30d": 29445, "sourceUrl": "https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/iterm2", "recordType": "cask", "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T07:51:05.123456+00:00" } ``` ### Output Fields #### Formula Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `name` | String | Formula name | | `fullName` | String | Full name including tap | | `tap` | String | Homebrew tap (e.g. `homebrew/core`) | | `description` | String | Short description | | `license` | String | SPDX license identifier | | `homepage` | String | Project homepage URL | | `version` | String | Latest stable version | | `aliases` | Array | Alternative names | | `dependencies` | Array | Runtime dependencies | | `buildDependencies` | Array | Build-time dependencies | | `conflicts` | Array | Conflicting packages | | `downloadUrl` | String | Source archive download URL | | `sha256` | String | SHA256 checksum of source archive | | `deprecated` | Boolean | Whether formula is deprecated | | `disabled` | Boolean | Whether formula is disabled | | `analytics30d` | Integer | Install count in last 30 days | | `sourceUrl` | String | Homebrew formula page URL | | `recordType` | String | Always `"formula"` | | `scrapedAt` | String | ISO 8601 timestamp | #### Cask Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `caskToken` | String | Cask identifier token | | `name` | String | Display name | | `tap` | String | Homebrew tap | | `description` | String | Short description | | `homepage` | String | Project homepage URL | | `version` | String | Current version | | `sha256` | String | SHA256 checksum of download | | `downloadUrl` | String | Download URL | | `conflicts` | Array | Conflicting casks | | `analytics30d` | Integer | Install count in last 30 days | | `sourceUrl` | String | Homebrew cask page URL | | `recordType` | String | Always `"cask"` | | `scrapedAt` | String | ISO 8601 timestamp | ### FAQs **Does this require an API key?** No. The Homebrew Formulae API is completely public and requires no authentication. **How many packages can I scrape?** There are approximately 7,000+ formulae and 7,000+ casks in Homebrew. Use `maxItems` to control how many records you retrieve (up to 5,000). **What does `searchQuery` match against?** For formulae, it matches against the `name`, `full_name`, and `desc` (description) fields. For casks, it matches against the token, name, and description. **What is the difference between formulae and casks?** Formulae are command-line tools and libraries (e.g. `git`, `wget`, `python`). Casks are macOS graphical applications (e.g. `google-chrome`, `visual-studio-code`). **How current is the data?** The actor fetches live data from the official Homebrew Formulae API (`formulae.brew.sh/api/`) which is updated continuously. **Can I get all packages?** Yes — leave `searchQuery` empty to get all packages up to `maxItems`. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Scraping mode: search formulae, search casks, or fetch by specific name(s). ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Filter results by name or description (case-insensitive). Leave empty to get all results up to maxItems. ## `names` (type: `array`): List of formula or cask names to fetch (used in getByName mode). e.g. \["git", "wget", "iterm2"]. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of records to return (1–5000). ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "searchFormulae", "searchQuery": "git", "names": [ "git", "wget" ], "maxItems": 10 } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "searchFormulae", "searchQuery": "git", "names": [ "git", "wget" ], "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "searchFormulae", "searchQuery": "git", "names": [ "git", "wget", ], "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "searchFormulae", "searchQuery": "git", "names": [ "git", "wget" ], "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/homebrew-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Homebrew Scraper", "description": "Scrape Homebrew formulae and casks - search by name/description or fetch specific packages with install analytics and metadata.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "8J5U4eQSGpZoPCD04" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~homebrew-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-homebrew-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~homebrew-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-homebrew-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~homebrew-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-homebrew-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "searchFormulae", "searchCasks", "getByName" ], "type": "string", "description": "Scraping mode: search formulae, search casks, or fetch by specific name(s).", "default": "searchFormulae" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Filter results by name or description (case-insensitive). Leave empty to get all results up to maxItems." }, "names": { "title": "Package Names", "type": "array", "description": "List of formula or cask names to fetch (used in getByName mode). e.g. [\"git\", \"wget\", \"iterm2\"].", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of records to return (1–5000).", "default": 100 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```