install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install hexd

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#hexd

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install hexd

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · hexd · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Colourful, human-friendly hexdump tool

Project links

Commands and aliases

hexd

history

Project history and usage

hexd is a small C hexdump tool that uses color to make byte-value patterns easier to see in terminal output.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in December 2013 and describes hexd as a colorful, human-friendly hexdump tool. Its man page, dated February 2022, documents the stable CLI shape: file or stdin input, optional plaintext or pretty output, grouping, ranges, width control, and repeated-line collapsing.

Adoption history

The project is packaged by Homebrew from the GitHub tag archive, and the input package metadata also records Nix and zypper package names. Its small C codebase and manpage-style interface make it a straightforward Unix package.

How it is used

hexd prints a human-readable dump of files or standard input. It classifies byte ranges with terminal colors, honors an HEXD_COLORS environment variable for SGR formatting, and includes range selection examples for inspecting embedded file regions or comparing binary headers.

Why package nerds care

hexd is the kind of tiny single-purpose CLI package that package managers collect well: it does not replace hexdump, od, or xxd, but offers a visual inspection trick that is useful enough to ship as a separate executable.

Timeline

2013: GitHub repository created.
2022: man page documents hexd's colorized dump interface and HEXD_COLORS environment variable.
2026: Homebrew formula packages the v1.1.0 GitHub tag archive.

Related projects

The man page lists hexdump, od, and xxd as related tools. The README also points to pixd, by the same author, as a related visualization tool for binary data.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.

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

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`hexd`	cli	global 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 generated2026-07-25

manager version1.1.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.1.0

https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:hexd
Version	1.1.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/hexd
Homepage	https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd
Repository	https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd
Upstream docs	https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd/archive/refs/tags/v1.1.0.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	hexd
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
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%

hexd

nix profile install nixpkgs#hexd

normalized package name match
Matched by: Hexd

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/hexd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

zypper95%

hexd 1.1.0-1.13

Colourful, human-friendly hexdump tool

https://github.com/FireyFly/hexd.git

sudo zypper install hexd

License: MIT
Category: Development/Tools/Debuggers
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: hexd
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Hexd

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: hexd from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

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

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.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/hexd.yml

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

Install hexd with Homebrew, Nix, zypper