# Install xrdb with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper X resource database utility. Version 1.2.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-25. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:xrdb ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install xrdb ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install xrdb ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: x11/xrdb/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add xrdb ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xrdb from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install xrdb ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xrdb from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#xrdb ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xr/xrdb/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install xrdb ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xrdb from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:xrdb - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.2.2 - **Source summary:** X resource database utility - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT-open-group AND HPND-DEC - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-25T14:49:53-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - xrdb (cli) - xrdb (alias) ## Dependencies - libx11 - libxmu ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.2.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-25 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/app/xrdb - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage xrdb is the small X.Org utility that loads, queries, merges, and edits the X server resource database. Its importance is historical as much as practical: it is the command that made per-user X resources such as colors, fonts, and application defaults available through X server properties rather than only through local dotfiles. ### Project history The xrdb manual carries Digital Equipment Corporation and Open Group copyright dates from the 1990s and identifies Bob Scheifler and Phil Karlton as authors, rewritten from Jim Gettys's original. That lineage places xrdb in the classic MIT X / X11 tooling family, before the program was maintained as part of the modular X.Org application set. The tool's design follows the X resource system: resources can be stored in RESOURCE_MANAGER on screen 0 and SCREEN_RESOURCES on individual screens. The X(7) manual describes xrdb as the program used by startup systems such as xdm and xinit to put global and per-screen resources into those properties. ### Adoption history xrdb became a normal part of X session startup because many X Toolkit and Xlib-era applications read resources from the server. It is a quiet dependency of the .Xresources/.Xdefaults culture: users could keep one resource file, merge it at login, and have X clients pick up consistent defaults across hosts and screens. Its adoption persisted through packaging because the resource database remains relevant for traditional X clients, terminal emulators, lightweight window-manager sessions, remote X workflows, and compatibility setups even as many desktop applications moved to toolkit-specific configuration systems. ### How it is used Typical usage is `xrdb -merge ~/.Xresources` from an X startup file, followed by `xrdb -query` to inspect the server-side database. Users also use `-load`, `-override`, `-remove`, and `-edit` when replacing or round-tripping resource settings. For package users, xrdb is most visible when installing or configuring xterm, bitmap-era X applications, old app-defaults packages, or minimalist desktop sessions where the user wants font, color, cursor, and widget defaults controlled by X resources. ### Why package nerds care xrdb is a classic example of a tiny package with outsized historical surface area: it is not a daemon or library, but it is the bridge between a user's resource files and the X server state that clients consult. It matters in package catalogs because it explains why X11 setups still ship separate utilities for session glue. Without xrdb, many old-but-still-packaged X applications lose the shared configuration path their manuals assume. ### Timeline - 1991: xrdb manual copyright includes Digital Equipment Corporation, reflecting early X11 resource-database tooling. - 1994-1998: Open Group copyright updates appear in the manual source. - 2001: X.Org/XFree86 manual-source revision history records xrdb in the X11 utility tree. - 2000s: xrdb continues as a modular X.Org application package used by display-manager and xinit-style startup flows. - 2025: The upstream manpage remains maintained in the X.Org xrdb repository. ### Related projects - Xlib Resource Manager and X Toolkit Intrinsics are the resource systems xrdb feeds. - xinit, xdm, and display managers commonly invoke xrdb during X session startup. - xterm and other X Toolkit clients are typical consumers of RESOURCE_MANAGER settings. - appres and listres are companion tools for inspecting application resources. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** xrdb - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - xrdb: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xr/xrdb/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - xrdb - 1.2.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xrdb from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X server resource database utility | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - apk - xrdb-doc - 1.2.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xrdb-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X server resource database utility (documentation) | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - dnf - xrdb - 1.2.2-7.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xrdb from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | X server resource database utility | https://www.x.org - zypper - xrdb - 1.2.2-1.8: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xrdb from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | X server resource database utility | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - MacPorts - xrdb: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: x11/xrdb/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [xinit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xinit/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [xprop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xprop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, utilities, x11, xorg. - [libxcvt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libxcvt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, 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. - [xdpyinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xdpyinfo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xeyes](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xeyes/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/xrdb.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/xrdb.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