install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install xray

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install xray

MacPorts ports tree · net/xray/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add xray

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · xray · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#xray

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/xray

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/xray.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id XTLS.Xray-core -e

Windows Package Manager source index · XTLS.Xray-core · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Platform for building proxies to bypass network restrictions

Project links

Commands and aliases

xray

history

Project history and usage

Xray-core is the Go networking core of Project X, a proxy and anti-censorship toolkit descended from v2ray-core and centered on XTLS, VLESS, REALITY, routing, DNS, and composable transports.

Project history

The Xray-core README says Project X originates from the XTLS protocol and provides tools such as Xray-core and REALITY. It also explicitly credits Xray-core v1.0.0 as a fork of v2fly-core commit 9a03cc5, after which the project accumulated many independent enhancements.

The v1.0.0 release in November 2020 framed the fork as a new beginning. Its notes said Xray-core was heavily modified from v2ray-core, merged ctl functionality into one executable, kept similar configuration ideas, changed environment/API naming to XRAY, exposed raw protocol ReadV across platforms, and provided VLESS and Trojan XTLS support.

The official documentation now cautions that Xray-core has evolved independently for a long time and should not be treated as a fully compatible v2ray-core drop-in replacement. It highlights complete support for VLESS, XTLS Vision, REALITY, multiple XTLS flow-control modes, and performance work such as Splice in suitable scenarios.

Adoption history

Xray's adoption is broad inside the censorship-circumvention and proxy-client ecosystem. The README lists official installation routes, Docker images, web panels, one-click installers, Magisk packages, Homebrew, many GUI clients across OpenWrt, Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, and HarmonyOS, plus wrappers and downstream cores.

Its ecosystem grew around protocols and deployment recipes rather than a single UI. The Xray-examples repository, REALITY examples, VLESS-XTLS-Vision examples, install scripts, and GUI clients show that users usually consume Xray-core as an engine under profiles, panels, routers, mobile apps, or server setup scripts.

How it is used

Practical usage is configuration-driven. Operators define inbound and outbound protocols, routing and DNS rules, transport settings, fallbacks, TLS or REALITY behavior, and platform-specific service wrappers; the xray executable then runs the core proxy service.

Common package-manager users install xray when they want the core binary on macOS, Linux, routers, servers, or CI-built images. More casual users often encounter it indirectly through clients such as v2rayN, v2rayNG, OpenWrt passwall packages, or web panels that generate configuration.

Why package nerds care

Xray is significant because it is both a single package and a protocol ecosystem. The Homebrew formula points at one executable, but the surrounding package graph includes install scripts, Docker images, GUI wrappers, router packages, mobile clients, panels, example repositories, and protocol documentation.

It is also a modern example of infrastructure software whose history matters for compatibility. Knowing that Xray branched from v2ray-core but evolved independently explains why configs may look familiar while APIs, environment variables, protocols, and operational assumptions differ.

Timeline

2020-11-25: Xray-core v1.0.0 was published as a fork-derived new beginning from v2fly-core.
2023-03-09: Xray-core v1.8.0 release notes introduced REALITY material and XTLS Vision security changes.
2025-2026: The project moved to date-like release numbering such as v25.x and v26.x in GitHub releases.
2026-06-27: GitHub lists Xray-core v26.6.27 among current releases.

Related projects

v2ray-core and v2fly-core: the upstream lineage from which Xray-core branched.
XTLS, VLESS, XTLS Vision, REALITY, XUDP, and XHTTP: protocol and transport work central to Project X.
XTLS/Xray-examples and XTLS/REALITY: official example and protocol repositories used by operators.
v2rayN, v2rayNG, PassWall, Marzban, Hiddify, and related clients or panels: common downstream ways people operate Xray-core.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: orange

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
formula declares a Homebrew service

Signals

metadata:service
text:network

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build 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

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`xray`	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 generated2026-07-08

manager version26.3.27

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv26.3.27

https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:xray
Version	26.3.27
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/xray
Homepage	https://xtls.github.io/
Repository	https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core
Upstream docs	https://xtls.github.io/en
License	MPL-2.0 AND CC-BY-SA-4.0
Source archive	https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core/archive/refs/tags/v26.3.27.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	declared
Caveats	An example config is installed to $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/etc/xray/config.json

registry facts

Source database details

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

xray

nix profile install nixpkgs#xray

normalized package name match
Matched by: Xray

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

apk95%

xray 26.3.27-r0

Platform for building proxies to bypass network restrictions

https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core

sudo apk add xray

License: MPL-2.0
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: xray
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Xray

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xray from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

MacPorts95%

xray

sudo port install xray

normalized package name match
Matched by: Xray

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: net/xray/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/xray

scoop install main/xray

normalized package name match
Matched by: Xray

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/xray.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

XTLS.Xray-core

winget install --id XTLS.Xray-core -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Xray

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: XTLS.Xray-core from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

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/xray.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 xray with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, scoop, winget