Conan
The leading C/C++ package manager that resolves, downloads, and builds third-party library dependencies. Conan 2.0 handles binary package caching (avoiding source compilation for common configurations), supports multiple compilers (GCC, Clang, MSVC) and build systems (CMake, Meson, Autotools), and integrates with Conan Center Index — a public repository of 1,500+ C/C++ packages. Used to manage dependencies like Boost, OpenSSL, gRPC, and fmt in C++ agent projects.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Package checksums verify download integrity. HTTPS for Conan Center downloads. Private repos require auth credentials via conan remote. Supply chain risk for third-party recipes.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
You're managing multiple C++ library dependencies in a project that needs to compile on multiple platforms and want binary package caching for fast CI builds.
Avoid When
Your project uses only header-only C++ libraries or a single platform — cmake FetchContent or vcpkg may be simpler alternatives.
Use Cases
- • Manage C++ dependencies for agent native extensions — add Boost, gRPC, and OpenSSL to conanfile.txt and Conan handles download, build, and CMake integration
- • Cache binary C++ packages in CI to avoid rebuilding libraries from source on every CI run — Conan's binary cache dramatically reduces C++ CI build times
- • Cross-compile C++ agent code for ARM or embedded targets using Conan profiles that specify target architecture, compiler, and OS
- • Publish private C++ libraries to an internal Conan server (Artifactory or Conan Center Private) for team reuse in agent codebases
- • Integrate Conan dependencies with CMake using conan_cmake_configure and find_package in CMakeLists.txt via Conan's CMake generator
Not For
- • Non-C/C++ dependencies — use npm, pip, or cargo for their respective ecosystems
- • Teams invested in vcpkg — Microsoft's vcpkg is a strong alternative, especially for Windows-first teams; mixing both is unnecessary
- • Projects using header-only libraries with no binary compilation — Conan's overhead isn't worth it for simple header-only deps managed by FetchContent
Interface
Authentication
Conan remotes (Artifactory, Conan Center) use API keys or username/password for private repos. Conan Center Index is public and requires no auth.
Pricing
Conan itself is MIT licensed. The JFrog Artifactory server for private package hosting has paid tiers. Conan Center Index is public and free.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ Conan 2.x is NOT backwards compatible with Conan 1.x — profiles, conanfile.py syntax, and generator names changed; projects using Conan 1.x must migrate before upgrading client
- ⚠ Profile compilation settings must match — OS, arch, compiler, compiler.version, compiler.libcxx, build_type must all be specified consistently; any mismatch causes 'binary not found' and triggers source compilation
- ⚠ CMake integration changed in Conan 2 — old CMakeDeps/CMakeToolchain replaced the old cmake generator; CMakeLists.txt using old 'conan_basic_setup()' won't work with Conan 2 generated files
- ⚠ Package recipes not on Conan Center require conanfile.py — packages not in Conan Center Index require writing a recipe; many enterprise C++ libraries need custom recipes
- ⚠ Binary compatibility hash determines cache hits — any change to settings (debug/release, compiler version) generates a different package ID requiring new binary; CI must cache the Conan data directory properly
- ⚠ Cross-compilation requires both host and build profiles — conan install . --profile:host=<target> --profile:build=<host>; single-profile cross-compilation silently uses wrong compiler
Alternatives
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-06.