Conan
Shares rank 18 of 35 package managers by recommenders
Recommended for cross-platform C/C++ dependencies and ABI checks. Critics say it needs more configuring than alternatives and recipes are inconsistent.
Recommended for cross-platform C/C++ dependencies and ABI checks. Critics say it needs more configuring than alternatives and recipes are inconsistent.
26 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 12
- approval share
- 54%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Cross-platform C/C++ dependency management
“tools like vcpkg and Conan exist specifically for this: cross-platform C/C++ dependency management with one workflow regardless of target”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A header-only C vector database library” “Conan fundamentally CAN handle every part of the general problem.”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++” “Conan and vcpkg are established enough.”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Zig: All Package Management Functionality Moved from Compiler to Build System” Installs dependencies and creates deployment packages
“conan is very helpful to install all your dependencies and to create deployment packages”
Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “I hate packaging my software for Linux” “You can use `conan` as a source package manager to get something closer”
Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “I hate packaging my software for Linux” Better than ad hoc alternatives
“all better choices than abusing the Python ecosystem to ship arbitrary executables”
Comment from 8 Nov 2025 in “Why is Zig so cool?” “What Conan does is much more sensible”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Ecosystem broken and recipes inconsistent
“My hopes were higher during the conan peak days, but now the ecosystem is just so broken”
Comment from 26 Mar 2026 in “Thoughts on Slowing the Fuck Down” “Back when conan came out I had hopes for it, but meanwhile I gave up on the ecosystem.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “On The Coming Industrialisation of Exploit Generation with LLMs” “Conan, which is also a complete shitshow for the reasons outlined in the article”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management” - Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management”
Needs more configuring than alternatives
“conan and vcpkg are not default and required much more configuring in comparison with cargo”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report” “those are not really standard and there is friction involved in getting it work”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report” Critics gave up on it
“I have used vcpkg and conan extensively and have completely given up on them”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “Making Video Games in 2025 (without an engine)” “Cmake and Conan ain’t it.”
Comment from 31 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report”
Other package managers people recommend
The four most recommended other package managers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 35 package managers, rankedWhat people said
24 of the 30 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'm aware/have used conan/meson/vcpkg/etc - doesn't change my opinion”
“You can use `conan` as a source package manager to get something closer”
“conan is very helpful to install all your dependencies and to create deployment packages”
“Conan and vcpkg are established enough.”
“This mitigates things to a great extent.”
“It says to hand write a `CMakeLists.txt` file.”
“Conan fundamentally CAN handle every part of the general problem.”
“I find that conan2 is mostly painful with ABI.”
“It's also very good at detecting and enforcing ABI compatibility”
“Cmake and Conan ain’t it.”
“What Conan does is much more sensible”
“conan and vcpkg are not default and required much more configuring in comparison with cargo”
“those are not really standard and there is friction involved in getting it work”
“My hopes were higher during the conan peak days, but now the ecosystem is just so broken”
“I have used vcpkg and conan extensively and have completely given up on them”
“This doesn't seem to abide by that, at least from scrolling through the FAQ.”
“tools like vcpkg and Conan exist specifically for this: cross-platform C/C++ dependency management with one workflow regardless of target”
“Conan has attempted to solve at least some of this”
“lax rules regarding package maintenance which leads to incosistent recipes”
“Conan, which is also a complete shitshow for the reasons outlined in the article”
“Back when conan came out I had hopes for it, but meanwhile I gave up on the ecosystem.”
“it is quite pragmatic and useful”
“I know, there is Conan, vcpkg etc”
“all better choices than abusing the Python ecosystem to ship arbitrary executables”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.