# Install fernflower with Homebrew, dnf Advanced decompiler for Java bytecode. Version 261.26222.65 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-02. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:fernflower ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install fernflower ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install fernflower ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: fernflower from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:fernflower - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 261.26222.65 - **Source summary:** Advanced decompiler for Java bytecode - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-02T16:39:41Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - fernflower (cli) - fernflower (alias) ## Dependencies - openjdk ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 261.26222.65 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-02 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/JetBrains/fernflower - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Fernflower is JetBrains' Java bytecode decompiler engine. Its README describes it as an analytical Java decompiler, bundled in IntelliJ IDEA for viewing Java source while debugging or navigating class files, and usable as a standalone command-line JAR. ### Project history Fernflower predates its current GitHub repository history: the README credits the original development to Stiver and says JetBrains has maintained it since 2014. The GitHub repository itself was created in October 2014 and points to the IntelliJ Community repository as the release location. The project became part of the wider IntelliJ Java tooling stack rather than a standalone decompiler-only product. Its repository README tells contributors to send patches through the IntelliJ Community project, and its issue tracker route is the IntelliJ IDEA `Java. Decompiler. Engine` subsystem. ### Adoption history Fernflower's main adoption channel is IntelliJ IDEA, where it is bundled for class-file navigation and debugging. Package-manager adoption gives command-line users a standalone `fernflower` executable or wrapper without needing to extract the engine from an IDE installation. The README also notes that patches from ForgeFlower were merged and that a long-running mirror by Andrew McRae existed, which reflects Fernflower's role in the broader Java reverse-engineering and Minecraft-modding adjacent decompiler ecosystem. ### How it is used Standalone usage runs `java -jar fernflower.jar` with options, one or more class/JAR/ZIP sources, and an output destination. The documented options cover generic signatures, inner classes, synthetic members, lambda handling, identifier renaming, logging, line endings, indentation, and other decompiler behavior. Inside IntelliJ IDEA, Fernflower is used implicitly when a developer opens or debugs against compiled Java classes without source attached. That dual IDE-and-CLI role is why it is useful both to Java developers and to package users who want scriptable decompilation. ### Why package nerds care Fernflower matters in package culture because it packages a decompiler engine from a large IDE ecosystem into a small command-line tool. It also sits at an interesting boundary: official releases are tied to JetBrains' IntelliJ infrastructure, while downstream package managers expose it as a normal CLI. For Java tooling maintainers, it is a notable example of an IDE component with standalone utility, Apache-licensed source, and ongoing relevance as Java bytecode features evolve. ### Timeline - 2014: JetBrains begins maintaining Fernflower and the public GitHub repository is created. - 2014 onward: Fernflower is maintained as part of the IntelliJ Java decompiler engine. - 2026: GitHub repository metadata shows continuing updates. ### Related projects - Fernflower is related to IntelliJ IDEA, the IntelliJ Community repository, ForgeFlower, and the wider family of Java bytecode decompilers used by developers and reverse engineers. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for fernflower. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** fernflower - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - dnf - fernflower - 211.7442.40-17.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: fernflower from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | JIdea's java decompiler | https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/tree/master/plugins/java-decompiler/engine - dnf - fernflower-javadoc - 211.7442.40-17.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: fernflower-javadoc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | fernflower API documentation | https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/tree/master/plugins/java-decompiler/engine ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [openjdk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openjdk/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [procyon-decompiler](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/procyon-decompiler/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, decompiler, developer-tools, java. - [dex2jar](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dex2jar/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java, reverse-engineering. - [cfr-decompiler](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cfr-decompiler/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, decompiler, developer-tools, java. - [capstone](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/capstone/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering. - [byteman](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/byteman/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java. - [jasmin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jasmin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java. - [proguard](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/proguard/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java. - [tiny-remapper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tiny-remapper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bytecode, cli, developer-tools, java. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/fernflower.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/fernflower.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph