# Install yara-x with Homebrew, Nix, scoop, winget Tool to do pattern matching for malware research. Version 1.19.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-24. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:yara-x ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install yara-x ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#yara-x ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ya/yara-x/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/yara-x ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/yara-x.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id VirusTotal.YARA-X -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: VirusTotal.YARA-X from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:yara-x - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.19.0 - **Source summary:** Tool to do pattern matching for malware research - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-24T17:31:08Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - yr (cli) - yr (alias) ## Build dependencies - cargo-c - rust ## 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: 1.19.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-24 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/VirusTotal/yara-x - Upstream latest detected: v1.19.0 (current) ## Project history and usage YARA-X is VirusTotal's Rust rewrite and intended successor to YARA, the rule-based pattern-matching tool used heavily in malware research. It keeps YARA's rule-language lineage while aiming for better safety, performance, user-friendliness, and modern library APIs. ### Project history The yara-x repository was created on 2022-10-14. Upstream describes YARA-X as a re-incarnation of YARA whose ultimate goal is to replace YARA as the default pattern-matching tool for malware researchers. The rewrite also moves the implementation from C into Rust while exposing C/C++, Python, Go, and Rust APIs. Victor M. Alvarez's 2024 post 'YARA is dead, long live YARA-X' explained the transition without actually abandoning YARA: YARA would continue to receive bug fixes and minor features, while major new modules and enhancements would focus on YARA-X. VirusTotal had already been running the new engine alongside YARA and comparing results at large scale. YARA-X reached its public stability milestone with v1.0.0 on 2025-06-04. The accompanying YARA-X blog post says the release ended the beta phase and that the original YARA project entered maintenance mode, with future innovation happening in YARA-X. ### Adoption history The most important adoption signal came from VirusTotal itself. In December 2024, VirusTotal announced that YARA-X had replaced YARA as the engine powering Livehunt and Retrohunt, two production services where rule compatibility and scale matter more than novelty. Adoption is intentionally migration-shaped rather than greenfield. The docs emphasize high rule compatibility, explain the differences with YARA, and encourage existing YARA users to explore YARA-X without requiring a rushed cutover. ### How it is used The packaged CLI is `yr`. Users write familiar YARA-style rules with patterns and conditions, then scan files or integrate the engine through language bindings. YARA-X also adds modern tooling around the rule lifecycle, including formatting, checking, warnings, a configuration file for some commands, and a language server. Practical usage today is split between command-line malware hunting, CI-style rule validation, and embedding YARA-compatible matching in security products or research pipelines that benefit from Rust's safety and newer APIs. ### Why package nerds care YARA-X is package-nerd significant because it is a rare live succession story for a security standard tool: not a fork competing with the old package, but the same steward moving a widely packaged C utility toward a Rust implementation while preserving rule compatibility. It also changes the shape of the package from a classic CLI/library pair into a broader toolchain: formatter, checker, language server, multi-language APIs, and a migration target for years of existing YARA rules. ### Timeline - 2022-10-14: VirusTotal/yara-x repository is created. - 2024-02-21: VirusTotal publishes 'YARA is dead, long live YARA-X', describing YARA-X as the future development focus. - 2024-12-04: VirusTotal announces YARA-X powers Livehunt and Retrohunt. - 2025-06-04: YARA-X 1.0.0 is released as the first stable release. - 2026-06-24: YARA-X v1.19.0 is published in GitHub releases. ### Related projects - YARA is the original C implementation and rule-language predecessor now in maintenance mode. - yara-python is the long-standing Python binding for classic YARA; YARA-X provides its own Python API. - VirusTotal Livehunt and Retrohunt are production services that moved to YARA-X. ### 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:** yara-x - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - yara-x: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ya/yara-x/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/yara-x: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/yara-x.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - VirusTotal.YARA-X: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: VirusTotal.YARA-X from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [cargo-c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-c/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [malcontent](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/malcontent/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [yara](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yara/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, malware, malware-analysis, pattern-matching, rules. - [virustotal-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/virustotal-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, malware-analysis, security. - [cargo-audit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-audit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. - [cargo-deny](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-deny/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. - [cargo-geiger](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-geiger/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. - [checkpwn](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/checkpwn/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. - [feluda](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/feluda/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. - [jwt-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jwt-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, rust, security. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/yara-x.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/yara-x.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