Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install dex2jar with Homebrew, chocolatey, MacPorts, Nix

Tools to work with Android .dex and Java .class files. Version 2.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install dex2jar

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install dex2jar

MacPorts ports tree · java/dex2jar/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#dex2jar

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/de/dex2jar/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Tools to work with Android .dex and Java .class files

Commands and aliases

  • d2j-apk-sign
  • d2j-asm-verify
  • d2j-baksmali
  • d2j-class-version-switch
  • d2j-decrypt-string
  • d2j-dex-recompute-checksum
  • d2j-dex-weaver
  • d2j-dex2jar
  • d2j-dex2smali
  • d2j-jar-access
  • d2j-jar-weaver
  • d2j-jar2dex
  • d2j-jar2jasmin
  • d2j-jasmin2jar
  • d2j-smali
  • d2j-std-apk
  • d2j_invoke

history

Project history and usage

dex2jar is a command-line toolkit for working with Android Dalvik Executable files and Java class or jar files. Package users usually encounter it through d2j-dex2jar and the companion d2j-* utilities.

Project history

The official README describes dex2jar as tools for Android .dex and Java .class files and notes the project move to GitHub. It preserves links to older SourceForge, Bitbucket, and Google Code project homes, which reflects the common migration path of early Android reverse-engineering tools into GitHub-era maintenance.

The current repository organizes the project as multiple tools: dex-reader/writer, d2j-dex2jar, smali/baksmali-compatible assembly and disassembly, and additional utilities such as string decryption helpers.

Adoption history

dex2jar became a familiar package in Android reverse-engineering and security-analysis workflows because it bridged Android .dex bytecode and Java tooling. Even when users later inspect output with decompilers or bytecode tools, the package often provides the first conversion step from an APK or dex file to a jar-shaped artifact.

How it is used

The README's example workflow builds the distribution, unpacks dex-tools, and runs d2j-dex2jar.sh against an APK path. The output is a jar file named after the input, such as apk_to_decompile-dex2jar.jar.

Why package nerds care

dex2jar is notable as a package because it installs a family of narrowly named command-line tools rather than a single binary. That makes it a classic reverse-engineering formula: many small entry points, stable scripts, and a README that doubles as the packaging-facing interface.

Timeline

  • Early project era: README records historical homes on Google Code, SourceForge, and Bitbucket.
  • GitHub era: README marks the project move to GitHub.
  • 2023-10-03: GitHub release v2.4 was published.

Related projects

  • smali/baksmali is directly related because dex2jar includes compatible assembly and disassembly tools.
  • Java bytecode and Android APK analysis tools are downstream or adjacent consumers of dex2jar output.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:decrypt

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
d2j-apk-signcliglobal executable
d2j-asm-verifycliglobal executable
d2j-baksmalicliglobal executable
d2j-class-version-switchcliglobal executable
d2j-decrypt-stringcliglobal executable
d2j-dex-recompute-checksumcliglobal executable
d2j-dex-weavercliglobal executable
d2j-dex2jarcliglobal executable
d2j-dex2smalicliglobal executable
d2j-jar-accesscliglobal executable
d2j-jar-weavercliglobal executable
d2j-jar2dexcliglobal executable
d2j-jar2jasmincliglobal executable
d2j-jasmin2jarcliglobal executable
d2j-smalicliglobal executable
d2j-std-apkcliglobal executable
d2j_invokecliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version2.4
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jar

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jarnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:dex2jar
Version2.4
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dex2jar
Homepagehttps://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jar
Repositoryhttps://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jar
Upstream docshttps://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jar#readme
LicenseApache-2.0
Source archivehttps://github.com/pxb1988/dex2jar/releases/download/v2.4/dex-tools-v2.4.zip
Dependenciesopenjdk
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namedex2jar
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

dex2jar

nix profile install nixpkgs#dex2jar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dex2jar
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/de/dex2jar/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
MacPorts95%

dex2jar

sudo port install dex2jar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dex2jar
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: java/dex2jar/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Chocolatey95%

dex2jar

choco install dex2jar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dex2jar
Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: dex2jar from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='9.1916','tektoncd-cli'

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • openjdkRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • fernflowerShares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java, reverse-engineering.
  • bundletoolShares av.db curated category or tags: android, cli, developer-tools, java.
  • redexShares av.db curated category or tags: android, bytecode, cli, developer-tools.
  • adb-enhancedShares av.db curated category or tags: android, cli, developer-tools.
  • capstoneShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering.
  • cfr-decompilerShares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java, reverse-engineering.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment