# Install xorg-server with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, dnf, zypper X Window System display server. Version 21.1.23 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-26. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:xorg-server ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install xorg-server ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install xorg-server ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: x11/xorg-server/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add xorg-server ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xorg-server from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install xnest ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: xnest from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#xorg-server ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xo/xorg-server/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S xorg-server ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: xorg-server from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install xorg-x11-server-Xephyr ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xorg-x11-server-Xephyr from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install xvfb-run ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xvfb-run from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:xorg-server - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 21.1.23 - **Source summary:** X Window System display server - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT AND APSL-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-26T19:50:21-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - X (cli) - Xephyr (cli) - Xnest (cli) - Xorg (cli) - Xvfb (cli) - gtf (cli) - xvfb-run (cli) - X (alias) - Xephyr (alias) - Xnest (alias) - Xorg (alias) - Xvfb (alias) - gtf (alias) - xvfb-run (alias) ## Dependencies - libapplewm - libx11 - libxau - libxcb - libxdmcp - libxext - libxfixes - libxfont2 - mesa - pixman - xauth - xcb-util - xcb-util-image - xcb-util-keysyms - xcb-util-renderutil - xcb-util-wm - xkbcomp - xkeyboard-config ## Build dependencies - font-util - libxkbfile - meson - ninja - pkgconf - util-macros - xorgproto - xtrans ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Caveats: To launch X server, it is recommend to install xinit, especially on macOS, otherwise X11.app will not work: brew install xinit If cask xquartz is installed, this link may be helpful: https://www.xquartz.org/FAQs.html#want-another-x11app-server - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 21.1.23 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-26 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.x.org - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage X.Org Server is the reference X11 display server maintained by the X.Org project. It is the process behind the familiar DISPLAY model: clients connect to an X server, ask it to create windows and draw, and receive input through the X protocol. For package nerds, xorg-server is not just one binary. It is the package that provides Xorg plus specialized servers such as Xvfb, Xephyr, Xnest, and related utilities, making it central to graphical desktops, remote GUI workflows, headless test runs, and decades of Unix compatibility. ### Project history The Xorg manual says the server was derived by the X.Org Foundation from the XFree86 project's XFree86 4.4rc2 release; XFree86 itself came from the earlier X386 work contributed to X11R5. That lineage matters because the 2004 X.Org transition turned the de facto open Unix X server into a foundation-maintained project under the freedesktop.org development umbrella. X.Org's X11R7.7 release notes explain the larger release history: X11's network protocol version was first released in 1988 and remained upward-compatible for decades, while the X.Org Foundation, founded in early 2004, issued releases from X11R6.7 onward. The server therefore carries both old X protocol compatibility and the post-XFree86 maintenance model. A major turning point was modularization. X11R7.0, released in 2005, moved away from the old monolithic source tree into separately released modules. X.Org's version-numbering document notes that X11R7.0 included the xorg-server 1.0 module and that module versions became the most accurate way to track server development. ### Adoption history X.Org Server rapidly became the standard open-source X server for Linux and BSD desktops after the XFree86 split. The Xorg manpage lists broad operating-system and architecture support, including Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, GNU Hurd, Mac OS X via Xquartz, and Win32/Cygwin via XWin. The modular X.Org era also made distribution packaging more practical: servers, drivers, libraries, fonts, and applications could be released and updated independently. X.Org's release notes describe builders watching xorg-announce for individual module updates rather than waiting for a full window-system roll-up. Even as Wayland became the modern Linux display-server direction, X.Org Server remained important through Xwayland compatibility, legacy Xorg sessions, nested servers, and headless tools. Xvfb and Xephyr in particular kept the package relevant beyond desktop login sessions: test suites, CI jobs, browser automation, and remote GUI debugging still depend on X server behavior. ### How it is used On a traditional Unix-like desktop, Xorg is launched by a display manager or startx/xinit, loads video and input drivers, reads xorg.conf and xorg.conf.d configuration when needed, and brokers windows, drawing, and input for client applications. In development and automation, Xvfb provides a virtual framebuffer for programs that require an X display without real hardware. Xephyr runs a full X server inside a window on another X display, useful for nested sessions, compositor testing, and isolating graphical experiments. Xnest serves a related nested-server role with different tradeoffs. Administrators and package maintainers care about xorg-server because it is a convergence point for kernel device access, input stacks, graphics drivers, font paths, extension versions, and security policy. Small changes in this package can affect everything from terminal emulators to browser tests. ### Why package nerds care Few packages have more historical gravity in Unix GUI stacks. xorg-server embodies the X11 split between server, clients, libraries, drivers, and protocol extensions, so packaging it correctly means understanding an entire ecosystem rather than a single executable. It is also a classic example of infrastructure that became less visible as it got more mature. A user may never type Xorg directly, but the package can decide whether old CAD tools, Tcl/Tk apps, X11 forwarding, headless browser tests, and desktop sessions work at all. The modularization story is a package-management lesson in itself: the X.Org stack moved from one large release artifact to many independently versioned modules, matching the way distributions and source package systems actually want to update fast-moving drivers and servers. ### Timeline - 1988: X11 protocol version 11 is first released, according to X.Org release notes. - Early 2004: The X.Org Foundation is founded and begins issuing X11 releases from X11R6.7 onward. - 2004: X.Org Server is derived from XFree86 4.4rc2. - 2005-12-21: X11R7.0 is released with the modular xorg-server 1.0 module. - 2010-12-20: X11R7.6 adds xorg.conf.d directories, InputClass sections, udev support on Linux, improved documentation, and integrated xcb. - 2012-06-06: X11R7.7 is released, adding multitouch input support, Sync fences, and pointer barriers. - After X11R7.7: X.Org stops producing unified whole-stack releases and releases individual modules as needed. ### Related projects - XFree86 is the immediate source lineage from which X.Org Server was forked. - Xwayland lets X11 clients run in Wayland environments and keeps Xorg code relevant in modern desktops. - XQuartz and XWin are platform-specific X servers for macOS and Windows/Cygwin environments. - Xvfb, Xephyr, and Xnest are specialized X servers shipped from the same server family for virtual and nested display use. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for xorg-server. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: /etc/X11/xorg.conf, /etc/xorg.conf, /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d, /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** xorg-server - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Conflicts With:** x-cli - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - xnest - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xnest from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Nested X server | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xorg-server-source - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xorg-server-source from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Xorg X server - source files | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xserver-common - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xserver-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | common files used by various X servers | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xserver-xephyr - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xserver-xephyr from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | nested X server | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xserver-xorg-core - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xserver-xorg-core from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Xorg X server - core server | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xserver-xorg-dev - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xserver-xorg-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Xorg X server - development files | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xserver-xorg-legacy - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xserver-xorg-legacy from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | setuid root Xorg server wrapper | https://www.x.org/ - Debian apt - xvfb - 2:21.1.16-1.3+deb13u2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xvfb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Virtual Framebuffer 'fake' X server | https://www.x.org/ - Nix - xorg-server: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xo/xorg-server/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - xnest - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xnest from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Nested X server | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xorg-server-source - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xorg-server-source from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Xorg X server - source files | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xserver-common - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xserver-common from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | common files used by various X servers | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xserver-xephyr - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xserver-xephyr from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | nested X server | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xserver-xorg-core - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xserver-xorg-core from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Xorg X server - core server | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xserver-xorg-dev - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xserver-xorg-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Xorg X server - development files | https://www.x.org/ - Ubuntu apt - xserver-xorg-legacy - 2:21.1.12-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xserver-xorg-legacy from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | setuid root Xorg server wrapper | https://www.x.org/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Matched curated package taxonomy and local package facts. - [font-util](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/font-util/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [meson](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meson/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [ninja](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ninja/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [rofi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rofi/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [libxcvt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libxcvt/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [xkbcomp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xkbcomp/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [xdpyinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xdpyinfo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, display-server, system, x11, xorg. - [xinit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xinit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, display-server, system, x11, xorg. - [xprop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xprop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, window-system, x11, xorg. - [libxpm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libxpm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [mkfontscale](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mkfontscale/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xauth](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xauth/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xcursorgen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xcursorgen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/xorg-server.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/xorg-server.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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