# Install xterm with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Terminal emulator for the X Window System. Version 410 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-25. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:xterm ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install xterm ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install xterm ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: x11/xterm/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add xterm ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xterm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install xterm ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: xterm from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install xterm ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xterm 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#xterm ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xt/xterm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S xterm ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: xterm from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install xterm ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xterm from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:xterm - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 410 - **Source summary:** Terminal emulator for the X Window System - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** X11 AND HPND - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-25T14:31:49-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - koi8rxterm (cli) - resize (cli) - uxterm (cli) - xterm (cli) - koi8rxterm (alias) - resize (alias) - uxterm (alias) - xterm (alias) ## Dependencies - fontconfig - freetype - libice - libx11 - libxaw - libxext - libxft - libxinerama - libxmu - libxpm - libxt ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 410 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-25 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage xterm is the canonical terminal emulator for the X Window System: a DEC VT-family and Tektronix 4014 compatible terminal window that has survived from the first X experiments into modern X.Org packaging. For package nerds, it is both a usable terminal and a reference point for terminal control sequences, terminfo behavior, and X11 terminal compatibility. ### Project history xterm predates the X Window System in a narrow but important sense. Thomas Dickey's FAQ preserves Jim Gettys' account that Mark Vandevoorde first wrote it in the summer of 1984 as a stand-alone terminal emulator for the DEC VAXstation 100, then retargeted it to X when X became the more useful path. The early program accumulated work from Gettys and others: Bob McNamara's ANSI parser, Tektronix graphics support from Doug Mink at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, an X11 port by Loretta Guarino, and later X Consortium maintenance. That mixed authorship explains why xterm carries both terminal-emulation and early-workstation history. Thomas E. Dickey began sustained xterm work in the mid-1990s, initially around color behavior, ncurses needs, and XFree86 integration. His project page describes xterm's terminal-description evolution from VT102-oriented behavior to VT220 and then VT420-oriented behavior, while the changelog records continuing patch-level maintenance into the 2020s. ### Adoption history xterm's adoption followed X11 itself. It became the standard terminal emulator shipped with X distributions, so Unix workstations, XFree86, X.Org, Cygwin/X, XQuartz-style setups, and Linux distributions inherited it as the plain X terminal even after desktop environments added newer terminal apps. The larger adoption story is compatibility. Terminal applications, curses libraries, shell prompts, and title-setting helpers often target xterm-compatible behavior even when the actual emulator is rxvt, dtterm, GNOME Terminal, Konsole, iTerm2, or another descendant. This made xterm a de facto behavior spec as much as a package. Dickey's upstream page links packages, historical source archives, the FAQ, control-sequence documentation, and the changelog, reflecting xterm's unusual status as an old X component still maintained as an independent upstream and still distributed by package managers. ### How it is used Users run `xterm` to open a shell or command in an X11 window; `uxterm` wraps xterm for Unicode locales; `koi8rxterm` targets KOI8-R environments; and `resize` reports terminal dimensions to shells. Options and X resources control fonts, colors, scrollback, geometry, titles, selections, and terminal modes. Developers use xterm as a practical testbed for terminal behavior: cursor addressing, colors, alternate-screen behavior, title operations, UTF-8, terminfo capabilities, bracketed paste, and compatibility with old DEC and Tektronix expectations. ### Why package nerds care xterm matters because package history, protocol history, and terminal compatibility meet in one executable. Installing it is not just installing a terminal; it brings a long-lived X11 terminal behavior that many terminal programs and scripts already know how to speak. It is also a maintenance case study. Rather than being replaced by a new framework, xterm survived by preserving old X and DEC behavior while adding color, Unicode, Xft fonts, newer DEC emulation, and safety controls around risky terminal operations. ### Timeline - 1984: Mark Vandevoorde writes the original VS100 terminal emulator during the summer X began, then retargets it to X. - 1985: Doug Mink adds Tektronix-style graphics support for Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory workflows using early X systems. - 1987: X11-era development begins; Loretta Guarino ports xterm to X11 according to the FAQ's preserved authorship history. - Early 1996: Thomas Dickey begins sustained xterm maintenance work around color, portability, and terminal-description correctness. - 1996: XFree86-era patches move xterm toward fuller VT220-style behavior and updated termcap/terminfo descriptions. - 2012: The preferred xterm terminal description shifts to a VT420-oriented basis, per Dickey's project history. - 2020s: xterm remains maintained upstream with changelog entries and package-manager distribution across Unix-like systems. ### Related projects - X Window System and X.Org: the display-system lineage that made xterm a standard client. - XFree86: the project through which much mid-1990s and early-2000s xterm work flowed. - ncurses, termcap, and terminfo: terminal capability databases and libraries whose xterm entries evolved alongside the emulator. - vttest: Thomas Dickey's related terminal test program. - rxvt, kterm, hanterm, dtterm, GNOME Terminal, and Konsole: terminal emulators that intersect with xterm compatibility. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** xterm - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - xterm - 398-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xterm from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | X terminal emulator | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html - Nix - xterm: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xt/xterm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - xterm - 390-1ubuntu3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xterm from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | X terminal emulator | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html - apk - xterm - 410-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xterm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X Terminal Emulator | https://invisible-island.net/xterm - apk - xterm-doc - 410-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xterm-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X Terminal Emulator (documentation) | https://invisible-island.net/xterm - dnf - xterm - 410-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xterm from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Terminal emulator for the X Window System | https://invisible-island.net/xterm - dnf - xterm-resize - 410-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xterm-resize from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Set environment and terminal settings to current window size | https://invisible-island.net/xterm - pacman - xterm - 410-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: xterm from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | X Terminal Emulator | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ - zypper - xterm - 410-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xterm from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | The basic X terminal program | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html - zypper - xterm-bin - 410-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xterm-bin from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | The basic X terminal program | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html - zypper - xterm-resize - 410-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xterm-resize from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Set environment and terminal settings to current window size | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html - MacPorts - xterm: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: x11/xterm/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [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. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [fontconfig](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fontconfig/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [freetype](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/freetype/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [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. - [libvterm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libvterm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, terminal-emulator. - [wy60](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/wy60/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, terminal-emulator. - [xtermcontrol](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xtermcontrol/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, x11. - [xtitle](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xtitle/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal, x11. - [aha](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aha/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [amtterm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amtterm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ansifilter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ansifilter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ccat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ccat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ncurses](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ncurses/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, terminal. - [gptline](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gptline/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, freetype, terminal. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/xterm.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/xterm.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