We're back once more with a little holiday gift for you. This release contains a few new features and fixes.

Support for XDG_CONFIG_HOME

We've always supported standard OS configuration paths. This release adds support for XDG_CONFIG_HOME, an environment variable defined in the XDG Base Directory Specification, in order to allow users to override that default. We support this on all platforms, even Windows. Installers created with dist 0.27.0 or later will respect this environment variable and place install receipts in that path; updaters using axoupdater 0.9.0 or later will respect that variable when searching for the receipt.

• impl @brennanfee, @mistydemeo feat: support XDG_CONFIG_HOME

Improved handling of missing build dependencies

While we've always reported if mandatory tools are missing, we previously would only check for their existence right before we'd use them. This made it hard to judge exactly when required tools might be absent, and meant we'd only report about a single tool at a time. With this release, we now check for these tools up front and we check for every tool your build will need simultaneously. This allows us to tell you about every missing tool in one message, and before the builds themselves begin.

• impl @duckinator Fail early if required tools can't be found.

Improved generic config handling

Since we shipped the new config format, dist-workspace.toml, we've been providing some spurious messages for non-Rust builds using just a dist.toml file. In this release, we now migrate users with dist.toml-alone apps to dist-workspace.toml. This conversion is automatic and requires no user input; it will happen when using dist init to upgrade to a new release.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: migrate dist.toml to dist-workspace.toml

Stabilizing the standalone updater we ship

In the past, we always shipped the latest version of the standalone updater provided via axoupdater. This meant that, if a new version of axoupdater was released after a given version of dist, your app would receive that latest version. As we've stabilized the updater's feature set, we feel that end users are deriving less benefit from this rolling release schedule and it would be more helpful to provide a fixed, known-good stable release instead.

Beginning with this release, dist will always package the same version of axoupdater when building and shipping your app. If you prefer the old behaviour, and would like to receive whatever's the latest, you can set always-use-latest-updater = true in your configuration.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: update axoupdater, fetch known-good version

It's been slightly longer than usual since our last release, and now we're back with a slightly larger than usual release! This version brings several major new features and improvements, including the long-requested Rust cross-compilation feature and support for a few different Rust dependency version tracking formats.

Builtin Rust cross-compilation support

You've all asked for it, and it's finally here! Previously, we only supported Rust cross-compilation on macOS. With this release, we've extended Rust cross-compilation support to Linux (using cargo-zigbuild and Windows (using cargo-xwin. For more information, see the docs.

We're also making use of this feature ourselves: we now build our aarch64 Linux binaries using this new tooling.

(Note: for technical reasons, cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles and cargo-auditable are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @fasterthanlime, @mistydemeo Add cross-compilation support via cargo-zigbuild and cargo-xwin

Checksum verifications in shell installers

While we've always generated checksum information for binary tarballs/ZIPs, we only actually validated those checksums in the Homebrew installer. That changes with this release: we now embed checksum information into the shell installer and validate the tarball before unpacking it.

• impl @fasterthanlime Verify checksums in install.sh

cargo-auditable support

We've added integrated support for the Rust Secure Code Working Group's cargo-auditable, which embeds dependency information in your Rust binaries and makes it possible for users to check your binaries for the full dependency tree they were built from with their precise versions. For more information, see our docs and the docs for the cargo-audit tool.

(Note: for technical reasons, this feature and cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-auditable config option

cargo-cyclonedx support

We've also added support for generating CyloneDX Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) files for Rust projects. We've implemented this using the cargo-cyclonedx tool. Unlike the cargo-auditable support above, which embeds dependency information directly into your binaries, this data is stored as a standalone bom.xml file which is distributed with your software. Users can then validate that SBOM file using any compatible CycloneDX tool.

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-cyclonedx config option.

OmniBOR support

Rounding out this release's new security features, we've added support for generating OmniBOR artifact IDs. We implement this using the omnibor-cli tool. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Add option to generate omnibor artifact IDs.

Strict error catching in template rendering

We've tightened up error handling for undefined values in templates when we create things such as installer scripts and the GitHub Actions YAML config. Any errors that occur here are dist's fault, not users' fault, and stricter error handling ensures we get the information we need to fix dist bugs and make this code more reliable. This was made possible thanks to a contribution by @fasterthanlime to the minijinja project, ensuring that we get actionable messages for these kinds of errors.

• impl @fasterthanlime Enable jinja "strict undefined behavior", fix templates, improve reporting

Per-target glibc version overrides

Although we autodetect the glibc version used by your software in order to check the minimum requirements during install, users who bypass our build mechanism and run a custom build job didn't get the benefit of this feature. To compensate, we've added support for manually specifying the glibc version your software needs. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Allow per-target glibc version overrides.

Tag-parsing and library-only mode improvements

We've tightened up the tag parsing code, ensuring that a few edge cases are handled more predictably. The dist plan output is now clearer in workspaces with multiple versions, with better instruction text on how to resolve unclear situations. We've also made a small change to dist = false handling, which means that we now refuse to run if a release tag only matches a crate with dist = false instead of going ahead with single library mode.

• impl
  • @duckinator Avoid discarding tag information, so "dist plan --tag={name}-{version}" works.
  • @mistydemeo Disable single-library mode for dist=false
  • @alilleybrinker Permit tag incoherence for dist plan

Improved pc-windows-gnu support

Although we've previously supported pc-windows-gnu builds for Rust software, we had a few notable gotchas: we wouldn't install choco dependencies, and PowerShell installers couldn't install them. We've fixed both of these issues this release, ensuring these targets are a bit closer to pc-windows-msvc in support.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add pc-windows-gnu to powershell installers

Fixes

• @pnehrer Explicitly set manifest path when building MSI with WiX

It's been slightly longer than usual since our last release, and now we're back with a slightly larger than usual release! This version brings several major new features and improvements, including the long-requested Rust cross-compilation feature and support for a few different Rust dependency version tracking formats.

Builtin Rust cross-compilation support

You've all asked for it, and it's finally here! Previously, we only supported Rust cross-compilation on macOS. With this release, we've extended Rust cross-compilation support to Linux (using cargo-zigbuild and Windows (using cargo-xwin. For more information, see the docs.

We're also making use of this feature ourselves: we now build our aarch64 Linux binaries using this new tooling.

(Note: for technical reasons, cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles and cargo-auditable are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @fasterthanlime, @mistydemeo Add cross-compilation support via cargo-zigbuild and cargo-xwin

Checksum verifications in shell installers

While we've always generated checksum information for binary tarballs/ZIPs, we only actually validated those checksums in the Homebrew installer. That changes with this release: we now embed checksum information into the shell installer and validate the tarball before unpacking it.

• impl @fasterthanlime Verify checksums in install.sh

cargo-auditable support

We've added integrated support for the Rust Secure Code Working Group's cargo-auditable, which embeds dependency information in your Rust binaries and makes it possible for users to check your binaries for the full dependency tree they were built from with their precise versions. For more information, see our docs and the docs for the cargo-audit tool.

(Note: for technical reasons, this feature and cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-auditable config option

cargo-cyclonedx support

We've also added support for generating CyloneDX Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) files for Rust projects. We've implemented this using the cargo-cyclonedx tool. Unlike the cargo-auditable support above, which embeds dependency information directly into your binaries, this data is stored as a standalone bom.xml file which is distributed with your software. Users can then validate that SBOM file using any compatible CycloneDX tool.

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-cyclonedx config option.

OmniBOR support

Rounding out this release's new security features, we've added support for generating OmniBOR artifact IDs. We implement this using the omnibor-cli tool. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Add option to generate omnibor artifact IDs.

Strict error catching in template rendering

We've tightened up error handling for undefined values in templates when we create things such as installer scripts and the GitHub Actions YAML config. Any errors that occur here are dist's fault, not users' fault, and stricter error handling ensures we get the information we need to fix dist bugs and make this code more reliable. This was made possible thanks to a contribution by @fasterthanlime to the minijinja project, ensuring that we get actionable messages for these kinds of errors.

• impl @fasterthanlime Enable jinja "strict undefined behavior", fix templates, improve reporting

Per-target glibc version overrides

Although we autodetect the glibc version used by your software in order to check the minimum requirements during install, users who bypass our build mechanism and run a custom build job didn't get the benefit of this feature. To compensate, we've added support for manually specifying the glibc version your software needs. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Allow per-target glibc version overrides.

Tag-parsing and library-only mode improvements

We've tightened up the tag parsing code, ensuring that a few edge cases are handled more predictably. The dist plan output is now clearer in workspaces with multiple versions, with better instruction text on how to resolve unclear situations. We've also made a small change to dist = false handling, which means that we now refuse to run if a release tag only matches a crate with dist = false instead of going ahead with single library mode.

• impl
  • @duckinator Avoid discarding tag information, so "dist plan --tag={name}-{version}" works.
  • @mistydemeo Disable single-library mode for dist=false
  • @alilleybrinker Permit tag incoherence for dist plan

Improved pc-windows-gnu support

Although we've previously supported pc-windows-gnu builds for Rust software, we had a few notable gotchas: we wouldn't install choco dependencies, and PowerShell installers couldn't install them. We've fixed both of these issues this release, ensuring these targets are a bit closer to pc-windows-msvc in support.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add pc-windows-gnu to powershell installers

Fixes

• @pnehrer Explicitly set manifest path when building MSI with WiX

It's been slightly longer than usual since our last release, and now we're back with a slightly larger than usual release! This version brings several major new features and improvements, including the long-requested Rust cross-compilation feature and support for a few different Rust dependency version tracking formats.

Builtin Rust cross-compilation support

You've all asked for it, and it's finally here! Previously, we only supported Rust cross-compilation on macOS. With this release, we've extended Rust cross-compilation support to Linux (using cargo-zigbuild and Windows (using cargo-xwin. For more information, see the docs.

We're also making use of this feature ourselves: we now build our aarch64 Linux binaries using this new tooling.

(Note: for technical reasons, cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles and cargo-auditable are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @fasterthanlime, @mistydemeo Add cross-compilation support via cargo-zigbuild and cargo-xwin

Checksum verifications in shell installers

While we've always generated checksum information for binary tarballs/ZIPs, we only actually validated those checksums in the Homebrew installer. That changes with this release: we now embed checksum information into the shell installer and validate the tarball before unpacking it.

• impl @fasterthanlime Verify checksums in install.sh

cargo-auditable support

We've added integrated support for the Rust Secure Code Working Group's cargo-auditable, which embeds dependency information in your Rust binaries and makes it possible for users to check your binaries for the full dependency tree they were built from with their precise versions. For more information, see our docs and the docs for the cargo-audit tool.

(Note: for technical reasons, this feature and cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-auditable config option

cargo-cyclonedx support

We've also added support for generating CyloneDX Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) files for Rust projects. We've implemented this using the cargo-cyclonedx tool. Unlike the cargo-auditable support above, which embeds dependency information directly into your binaries, this data is stored as a standalone bom.xml file which is distributed with your software. Users can then validate that SBOM file using any compatible CycloneDX tool.

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-cyclonedx config option.

OmniBOR support

Rounding out this release's new security features, we've added support for generating OmniBOR artifact IDs. We implement this using the omnibor-cli tool. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Add option to generate omnibor artifact IDs.

Strict error catching in template rendering

We've tightened up error handling for undefined values in templates when we create things such as installer scripts and the GitHub Actions YAML config. Any errors that occur here are dist's fault, not users' fault, and stricter error handling ensures we get the information we need to fix dist bugs and make this code more reliable. This was made possible thanks to a contribution by @fasterthanlime to the minijinja project, ensuring that we get actionable messages for these kinds of errors.

• impl @fasterthanlime Enable jinja "strict undefined behavior", fix templates, improve reporting

Per-target glibc version overrides

Although we autodetect the glibc version used by your software in order to check the minimum requirements during install, users who bypass our build mechanism and run a custom build job didn't get the benefit of this feature. To compensate, we've added support for manually specifying the glibc version your software needs. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Allow per-target glibc version overrides.

Tag-parsing and library-only mode improvements

We've tightened up the tag parsing code, ensuring that a few edge cases are handled more predictably. The dist plan output is now clearer in workspaces with multiple versions, with better instruction text on how to resolve unclear situations. We've also made a small change to dist = false handling, which means that we now refuse to run if a release tag only matches a crate with dist = false instead of going ahead with single library mode.

• impl
  • @duckinator Avoid discarding tag information, so "dist plan --tag={name}-{version}" works.
  • @mistydemeo Disable single-library mode for dist=false
  • @alilleybrinker Permit tag incoherence for dist plan

Improved pc-windows-gnu support

Although we've previously supported pc-windows-gnu builds for Rust software, we had a few notable gotchas: we wouldn't install choco dependencies, and PowerShell installers couldn't install them. We've fixed both of these issues this release, ensuring these targets are a bit closer to pc-windows-msvc in support.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add pc-windows-gnu to powershell installers

Fixes

• @pnehrer Explicitly set manifest path when building MSI with WiX

It's been slightly longer than usual since our last release, and now we're back with a slightly larger than usual release! This version brings several major new features and improvements, including the long-requested Rust cross-compilation feature and support for a few different Rust dependency version tracking formats.

Builtin Rust cross-compilation support

You've all asked for it, and it's finally here! Previously, we only supported Rust cross-compilation on macOS. With this release, we've extended Rust cross-compilation support to Linux (using cargo-zigbuild and Windows (using cargo-xwin. For more information, see the docs.

We're also making use of this feature ourselves: we now build our aarch64 Linux binaries using this new tooling.

(Note: for technical reasons, cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles and cargo-auditable are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @fasterthanlime, @mistydemeo Add cross-compilation support via cargo-zigbuild and cargo-xwin

Checksum verifications in shell installers

While we've always generated checksum information for binary tarballs/ZIPs, we only actually validated those checksums in the Homebrew installer. That changes with this release: we now embed checksum information into the shell installer and validate the tarball before unpacking it.

• impl @fasterthanlime Verify checksums in install.sh

cargo-auditable support

We've added integrated support for the Rust Secure Code Working Group's cargo-auditable, which embeds dependency information in your Rust binaries and makes it possible for users to check your binaries for the full dependency tree they were built from with their precise versions. For more information, see our docs and the docs for the cargo-audit tool.

(Note: for technical reasons, this feature and cargo-zigbuild cross-compiles are currently mutually exclusive. Users can only enable one or the other. cargo-xwin builds and cargo-auditable can be used together.)

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-auditable config option

cargo-cyclonedx support

We've also added support for generating CyloneDX Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) files for Rust projects. We've implemented this using the cargo-cyclonedx tool. Unlike the cargo-auditable support above, which embeds dependency information directly into your binaries, this data is stored as a standalone bom.xml file which is distributed with your software. Users can then validate that SBOM file using any compatible CycloneDX tool.

• impl @duckinator Add cargo-cyclonedx config option.

OmniBOR support

Rounding out this release's new security features, we've added support for generating OmniBOR artifact IDs. We implement this using the omnibor-cli tool. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Add option to generate omnibor artifact IDs.

Strict error catching in template rendering

We've tightened up error handling for undefined values in templates when we create things such as installer scripts and the GitHub Actions YAML config. Any errors that occur here are dist's fault, not users' fault, and stricter error handling ensures we get the information we need to fix dist bugs and make this code more reliable. This was made possible thanks to a contribution by @fasterthanlime to the minijinja project, ensuring that we get actionable messages for these kinds of errors.

• impl @fasterthanlime Enable jinja "strict undefined behavior", fix templates, improve reporting

Per-target glibc version overrides

Although we autodetect the glibc version used by your software in order to check the minimum requirements during install, users who bypass our build mechanism and run a custom build job didn't get the benefit of this feature. To compensate, we've added support for manually specifying the glibc version your software needs. For more information, see the docs.

• impl @duckinator Allow per-target glibc version overrides.

Tag-parsing and library-only mode improvements

We've tightened up the tag parsing code, ensuring that a few edge cases are handled more predictably. The dist plan output is now clearer in workspaces with multiple versions, with better instruction text on how to resolve unclear situations. We've also made a small change to dist = false handling, which means that we now refuse to run if a release tag only matches a crate with dist = false instead of going ahead with single library mode.

• impl
  • @duckinator Avoid discarding tag information, so "dist plan --tag={name}-{version}" works.
  • @mistydemeo Disable single-library mode for dist=false
  • @alilleybrinker Permit tag incoherence for dist plan

Improved pc-windows-gnu support

Although we've previously supported pc-windows-gnu builds for Rust software, we had a few notable gotchas: we wouldn't install choco dependencies, and PowerShell installers couldn't install them. We've fixed both of these issues this release, ensuring these targets are a bit closer to pc-windows-msvc in support.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add pc-windows-gnu to powershell installers

Fixes

• @pnehrer Explicitly set manifest path when building MSI with WiX

Nothing Yet!

Nothing Yet!

Nothing Yet!

Nothing Yet!

It's been less than two weeks, and we're already back with a big dist release for you. This release has several major features, beginning with the biggest news that:

dist has a new name

Did the last paragraph give it away? Well, it's true: cargo-dist is now just dist. This reflects our growing support for packaging software built by tools beyond just Cargo. Our support for Cargo isn't going away of course, or becoming any less of a focus.

As a part of this, dist has moved towards a standalone CLI tool that doesn't have to be run as a cargo subcommand. You can now run dist init, dist build and more without needing to prefix it with cargo. We still install the Cargo plugin, though, so you're welcome to keep using cargo dist like always. As a part of being able to run without the Cargo plugin, there's one more big change:

dist runs without Cargo

dist no longer requires Cargo if you're not building Rust projects! This is a major change which should make it much more ergonomic for users of other languages. We do still require Cargo if your workspace contains at least one Rust project; this includes commands such as dist init and dist plan.

• impl @Gankra, @mistydemeo feat: make cargo optional

Unified checksum file

This change is completely unrelated to the new name, but it's a very nice one. We've always shipped individual checksum files for each artifact, but in this release we now also ship a unified checksum file which contains all of your hashes in a single place. It's named $HASH_STYLE.sum, for example sha256.sum, and is designed to be compatible with tools such as shasum and sha256sum.

• impl @fasterthanlime Introduce unified manifest file

Fixes

• impl @mistydemeo fix: print Windows paths correctly
• impl @pnehrer Specify path to Cargo.toml when generating wix for package

It's been less than two weeks, and we're already back with a big dist release for you. This release has several major features, beginning with the biggest news that:

dist has a new name

Did the last paragraph give it away? Well, it's true: cargo-dist is now just dist. This reflects our growing support for packaging software built by tools beyond just Cargo. Our support for Cargo isn't going away of course, or becoming any less of a focus.

As a part of this, dist has moved towards a standalone CLI tool that doesn't have to be run as a cargo subcommand. You can now run dist init, dist build and more without needing to prefix it with cargo. We still install the Cargo plugin, though, so you're welcome to keep using cargo dist like always. As a part of being able to run without the Cargo plugin, there's one more big change:

dist runs without Cargo

dist no longer requires Cargo if you're not building Rust projects! This is a major change which should make it much more ergonomic for users of other languages. We do still require Cargo if your workspace contains at least one Rust project; this includes commands such as dist init and dist plan.

• impl @Gankra, @mistydemeo feat: make cargo optional

Unified checksum file

This change is completely unrelated to the new name, but it's a very nice one. We've always shipped individual checksum files for each artifact, but in this release we now also ship a unified checksum file which contains all of your hashes in a single place. It's named $HASH_STYLE.sum, for example sha256.sum, and is designed to be compatible with tools such as shasum and sha256sum.

• impl @fasterthanlime Introduce unified manifest file

Fixes

• impl @mistydemeo fix: print Windows paths correctly
• impl @pnehrer Specify path to Cargo.toml when generating wix for package

We're back from a longer-than-usual break between releases with a feature-filled release!

The new config format emerges

Over the past few months, we've been working towards a new config format. Up to now, aside from a few references in the documentation, these changes have been internal and haven't been visible to users. This release marks the first user-facing side of the new config format.

This new config format uses the dist-workspace.toml and dist.toml files that were originally created for non-Rust projects. It allows us to unify project configuration formats between languages, and allows you to configure cargo-dist without adding content to your root Cargo.toml. In this release, newly cargo initted Rust projects will use the new format. Existing projects will be given the option to opt into the new format, but by default will keep their existing format for now.

For more information, see the workspace docs.

• impl
  • @Gankra doc: address most config TODOs
  • @mistydemeo feat: adjust new config opt-in
  • @mistydemeo fix: handle final config todo

Installer improvements

This release contains a suite of improvements to our installers.

"Unmanaged" install type

We now support a new install type, "unmanaged" installs. This is intended for users installing in ephemeral install methods such as CI, and disables several features that are unneeded in those environments. Specifically, it:

• Disables updater-related tooling, including install receipt creation
• Disables modification of the user's PATH, including modification of dotfiles
• Forces a flat installation layout, installing all files into a single directory

For more information, see the installer usage docs.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: unmanaged installs

Improved path modification options

While we've always provided options to turn off modifying the user's PATH in the installer, this behaviour was inconsistent between the shell and PowerShell installers. In this release, we've unified the behaviour. The current recommended path is to use environment variables; the variable controlling this is APPNAME_NO_MODIFY_PATH, where APPNAME is the name of your application. For example, AXOLOTLSAY_NO_MODIFY_PATH for an app named axolotlsay. The commandline flag, which was named inconsistently between platforms, has been deprecated.

We've also made a change to ensure that the user's preference for the "don't modify PATH" option is persisted across upgrades. This fixes an issue present in previous versions where it would only be respected on initial installation, not in calls to axoupdater.

For more information, see the installer usage docs.

• impl
  • @mistydemeo feat: unmanaged installs
  • @mistydemeo feat: deprecate --no-modify-path
  • @mistydemeo feat: track NO_MODIFY_PATH for updates

npm packages can now use any archive format

In previous versions, enabling the npm installer would require your package to be distributed using .tar.gz archives on all platforms, including Windows. This release removes that restriction by rewriting a section of the npm installer code.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: support any format in npm

Axoupdater version checking

Users who implement an updater by using axoupdater as a library always need to make sure that library is up to date so that they're able to make use of the latest features. This release contains a version checker which detects if your software is using an out-of-date version of axoupdater which may cause problems, and will alert you that an update is needed during builds. For more information, see the documentation.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add minimum supported axoupdater check (library)

Standalone axoupdater installation fix

cargo-dist versions 0.21.1, 0.22.0 and 0.22.1 contain a bug which caused the standalone installer to fail to install when using the shell installer. End users who installed your software via installers generated with these versions will not have received a standalone installer along with your software. This bug is fixed beginning with this release. For more information, see the documentation.

• impl @mistydemeo
  • fix: standalone updater installation
  • fix: invalid updater for first in array

We're back from a longer-than-usual break between releases with a feature-filled release!

The new config format emerges

Over the past few months, we've been working towards a new config format. Up to now, aside from a few references in the documentation, these changes have been internal and haven't been visible to users. This release marks the first user-facing side of the new config format.

This new config format uses the dist-workspace.toml and dist.toml files that were originally created for non-Rust projects. It allows us to unify project configuration formats between languages, and allows you to configure cargo-dist without adding content to your root Cargo.toml. In this release, newly cargo initted Rust projects will use the new format. Existing projects will be given the option to opt into the new format, but by default will keep their existing format for now.

For more information, see the workspace docs.

• impl
  • @Gankra doc: address most config TODOs
  • @mistydemeo feat: adjust new config opt-in
  • @mistydemeo fix: handle final config todo

Installer improvements

This release contains a suite of improvements to our installers.

"Unmanaged" install type

We now support a new install type, "unmanaged" installs. This is intended for users installing in ephemeral install methods such as CI, and disables several features that are unneeded in those environments. Specifically, it:

• Disables updater-related tooling, including install receipt creation
• Disables modification of the user's PATH, including modification of dotfiles
• Forces a flat installation layout, installing all files into a single directory

For more information, see the installer usage docs.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: unmanaged installs

Improved path modification options

While we've always provided options to turn off modifying the user's PATH in the installer, this behaviour was inconsistent between the shell and PowerShell installers. In this release, we've unified the behaviour. The current recommended path is to use environment variables; the variable controlling this is APPNAME_NO_MODIFY_PATH, where APPNAME is the name of your application. For example, AXOLOTLSAY_NO_MODIFY_PATH for an app named axolotlsay. The commandline flag, which was named inconsistently between platforms, has been deprecated.

We've also made a change to ensure that the user's preference for the "don't modify PATH" option is persisted across upgrades. This fixes an issue present in previous versions where it would only be respected on initial installation, not in calls to axoupdater.

For more information, see the installer usage docs.

• impl
  • @mistydemeo feat: unmanaged installs
  • @mistydemeo feat: deprecate --no-modify-path
  • @mistydemeo feat: track NO_MODIFY_PATH for updates

npm packages can now use any archive format

In previous versions, enabling the npm installer would require your package to be distributed using .tar.gz archives on all platforms, including Windows. This release removes that restriction by rewriting a section of the npm installer code.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: support any format in npm

Axoupdater version checking

Users who implement an updater by using axoupdater as a library always need to make sure that library is up to date so that they're able to make use of the latest features. This release contains a version checker which detects if your software is using an out-of-date version of axoupdater which may cause problems, and will alert you that an update is needed during builds. For more information, see the documentation.

• impl @mistydemeo feat: add minimum supported axoupdater check (library)

Standalone axoupdater installation fix

cargo-dist versions 0.21.1, 0.22.0 and 0.22.1 contain a bug which caused the standalone installer to fail to install when using the shell installer. End users who installed your software via installers generated with these versions will not have received a standalone installer along with your software. This bug is fixed beginning with this release. For more information, see the documentation.

• impl @mistydemeo
  • fix: standalone updater installation
  • fix: invalid updater for first in array

This is a small patch release that incidentally includes some initial groundwork for a new feature.

• @gankra fix: give PATH update instructions for cmd too
• @gankra fix: make linkage truly infallible
• @mistydemeo feat: initial impl of Mac .pkg installer

This is a small patch release that incidentally includes some initial groundwork for a new feature.

• @gankra fix: give PATH update instructions for cmd too
• @gankra fix: make linkage truly infallible
• @mistydemeo feat: initial impl of Mac .pkg installer

Nothing Yet!

Nothing Yet!

This patch release fixes several bugs and provides some nice quality of life improvements. These fixes are largely related to our installers, shell, powershell, and homebrew as well as managing some papercuts in the dist init command and error handling.

App-branded installer environment variables

We generate installers for our users- and then our users' users use those installers. Those users don't know they are using dist and, if we do our job right, should never have to.

While we had implemented some environment variables that enable users to control the behavior of installers, previously they were largely designed for internal use, and therefore namespaced with DIST. However, we quickly realized that this isn't suitable for having our users communicate with their users- so we've enabled the generation of app-branded installer customization environment variables- so that installer users can leverage environment variables that are branded to the application they are trying to install.

Right now, the only customization we allow for installers is the install directory- so instead of CARGO_DIST_FORCE_INSTALL_DIR, you can tell your users to use AXOLOTLSAY_INSTALL_DIR (if your app is named axolotlsay). If you have a name with hyphens or other characters, we normalize it for you, and you can find this value at the install_dir_env_var field in the dist-manifest.json that is generated with each of your releases.

• impl @mistydemeo add app branded env var for custom dir to installers

Homebrew license metadata

Currently, when publishing to a Homebrew tap, whatever string is in the project's license field (usually a SPDX license expression) gets passed into license in the Homebrew formula. However, rather than using SPDX syntax, Homebrew has its own ruby syntax for specifying licenses. So, when passed an SPDX expression, Homebrew:

• Cannot provide as detailed information about the package's licensing.
• Throws errors when linting the formula with brew audit/brew test-bot.

This PR translates the SPDX expression to the Homebrew license DSL.

• impl @cxreiff translate SPDX expressions to Homebrew license DSL to produce better Homebrew package metadata

Homebrew compliance (brew style)

Creating a personal tap with brew tap-new creates a default Github Actions workflow that runs a homebrew-specific style check (brew style ) on the repo. Cargo-dist's generated homebrew formulas fail this style check. This does not block the core functionality of cargo-dist's homebrew publishing functionality (formula still functions), but does mean that users whorun brew style (which is a side effect of creating a tap with brew tap-new) would get frustrating errors.

Rather than separately chasing formatting issues as they come up, this PR updates the homebrew publish workflow to install and run brew style --fix on each formula before committing it.

• impl
  • @cxreiff format homebrew formulas with brew style --fix
  • @mistydemeo enable brew style linters in tests

Fixes

• @mistydemeo enable powershell installer to respect NoModifyPath from env
• @gankra improve powershell installer portability by updating ExecutionPolicy flag and offering better hints
• @mistydemeo handle ar archives when parsing Windows objects, ensure unsupported binary linkage checks are non-fatal, and improve linkage checker errors
• @gankra improve init errors for custom projects, and ensure prompts are more contextual
• @mistydemeo update reference to renamed config in error message

This patch release fixes several bugs and provides some quality of life improvements. The most substantial changes are to the shell installer, which now does more precise glibc version checks based on exactly which platform each binary was built on.

• @gankra make glibc version reqs per-platform in shell installer
• @gankra cleanup error handling in shell installer
• @gankra remove overzealous cargo version check
• @ashleygwilliams add generated note at top of workflow
• @alexanderjophus improved init when user unchecks homebrew installer
• @sts10 fix grammar in readme
• @mistydemeo fix installing sysdeps with Homebrew using Homebrew 4.3.17

This patch release fixes several bugs and provides some quality of life improvements. The most substantial changes are to the shell installer, which now does more precise glibc version checks based on exactly which platform each binary was built on.

• @gankra make glibc version reqs per-platform in shell installer
• @gankra cleanup error handling in shell installer
• @gankra remove overzealous cargo version check
• @ashleygwilliams add generated note at top of workflow
• @alexanderjophus improved init when user unchecks homebrew installer
• @sts10 fix grammar in readme
• @mistydemeo fix installing sysdeps with Homebrew using Homebrew 4.3.17