macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install paxlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 10391
Install pax with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper
Portable Archive Interchange archive tool. Version 20240817 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-11. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install pax.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add paxAlpine Linux edge package indexes · pax · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install paxDebian stable package indexes · pax · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install paxFedora Rawhide package metadata · pax · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#paxnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/pa/pax/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S paxArch Linux sync databases · pax · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install spaxopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · spax · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Portable Archive Interchange archive tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- pax
history
Project history and usage
pax is a POSIX-oriented archive utility for portable interchange, commonly used with tar and cpio archive formats.
Project history
The pax utility emerged as a portable archive interchange interface capable of reading and writing established archive formats rather than introducing only a new, isolated workflow.
The packaged implementation is maintained in the MirBSD ecosystem and carries the MirOS license.
Adoption history
The pax interface was standardized by POSIX and subsequently packaged across numerous Unix-like systems. The supplied package metadata records packages in Alpine, Debian, Fedora-family, Homebrew, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE-family ecosystems.
This formula packages the MirBSD implementation, one member of the broader family of pax-compatible utilities.
How it is used
Users create, list, extract, and copy archive trees through a common command interface, selecting behavior and archive formats through options.
It is especially useful in scripts that value a standardized interface or need tar/cpio interoperability.
Why package nerds care
pax matters to package-system enthusiasts because it represents the standards-oriented attempt to unify tar-style and cpio-style archive handling behind one command. Its appearance across otherwise different Unix package collections reflects the durability of portable command-line interfaces.
Timeline
- 1980s: pax was developed as a portable interface spanning established Unix archive formats.
- POSIX era: pax became part of the standardized Unix utility set.
- MirBSD era: MirBSD maintained and distributed its own pax implementation.
Related projects
- tar and cpio are the principal archive formats and command traditions associated with pax.
- spax is another pax implementation and is represented by the supplied openSUSE-family package mapping.
Sources
- https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm
- source_facts.description
- source_facts.license
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:archive
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
pax | 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 generated2026-09-19
manager version20240817
manager updated2026-09-11
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htmnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:pax |
|---|---|
| Version | 20240817 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pax |
| Homepage | https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm |
| Upstream docs | https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm |
| License | MirOS |
| Source archive | https://mbsd.evolvis.org/MirOS/dist/mir/cpio/paxmirabilis-20240817.tgz |
| Last updated | 2026-09-11T18:44:05Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | pax |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | yes |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
pax 1:20240817-1
Portable Archive Interchange (cpio, pax, tar)
sudo apt install pax- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
Nix95%
pax
nix profile install nixpkgs#pax- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
Ubuntu apt95%
pax 1:20201030-1build3
Portable Archive Interchange (cpio, pax, tar)
sudo apt install pax- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
apk95%
pax 20240817-r1
Portable Archive eXchange
https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm
sudo apk add pax- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pax
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
apk95%
pax-doc 20240817-r1
Portable Archive eXchange (documentation)
https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm
sudo apk add pax-doc- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pax
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
dnf95%
pax 3.4-50.fc45
POSIX File System Archiver
https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/pax
sudo dnf install pax- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pax
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
pacman95%
pax 20240817-1
Portable Archive Interchange - the POSIX standard archive tool for cpio and tar formats
https://mbsd.evolvis.org/pax.htm
sudo pacman -S pax- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
zypper95%
spax 1.6.1-53.5
Portable Archive Exchange
https://codeberg.org/schilytools/schilytools
sudo zypper install spax- License: CDDL-1.0
- Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: schily
- 1 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pax
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation