install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install pex

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install pex

Debian stable package indexes · pex · source: deb.debian.org

overview

Package summary

Package manager for PostgreSQL

Project links

Commands and aliases

pex

history

Project history and usage

Pex is a developer-focused package manager that downloads, builds, installs, tracks, and upgrades PostgreSQL extensions and loadable modules.

Project history

Peter Eisentraut developed Pex as a lightweight PostgreSQL package manager based on POSIX shell, curl, Git, and standard Unix tools. Its 2013 man page identifies the early public interface. The project explicitly credits Homebrew as an influence while remaining unrelated to it.

Adoption history

The source tree includes Debian packaging, and the input records distribution through Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu. The project remains deliberately small and developer-oriented rather than operating a centralized package service.

How it is used

After `pex init` fetches package descriptions and initializes state, users can search, install, update, and upgrade PostgreSQL add-ons. Options support multiple PostgreSQL installations, while package metadata lives in a Git repository that organizations can fork for private packages.

Why package nerds care

Pex applies familiar source-package-manager ideas to PostgreSQL extensions: curated package descriptions, reproducible archive hashes, Git-based metadata, multiple installation targets, and locally forkable repositories. It is a compact example of Homebrew-style package culture adapted to database add-ons.

Timeline

2013: The bundled man page identifies the Pex command and its package-management interface.
Subsequent packaging: Pex became available through Debian-family packaging and Homebrew.

Related projects

Pex's default package-description repository is the official petere/pex-packages project. The README cites Homebrew as an influence, and installed packages ultimately target PostgreSQL installations.

Sources

Official README: https://github.com/petere/pex#readme
Official man page: https://github.com/petere/pex/blob/master/pex.1
Official package repository: https://github.com/petere/pex-packages

security posture

Risk level: orange

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

text:package manager
text:sql

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime 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
`pex`	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 version1.20140409

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected1.20140409

https://github.com/petere/pex

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:pex
Version	1.20140409
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pex
Homepage	https://github.com/petere/pex
Repository	https://github.com/petere/pex
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/petere/pex/archive/refs/tags/1.20140409.tar.gz
Dependencies	libpq
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	If installing for the first time, perform the following in order to setup the necessary directory structure: pex init

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	pex
Version Scheme	0
Revision	4
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	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.

Debian apt95%

pex 1.5.3-1

library for generating Python executable zip files

https://github.com/pantsbuild/pex

sudo apt install pex

Section: python
Architecture: all
Source Package: python-pex
6 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Pex

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: pex from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Ubuntu apt95%

pex 1.5.3-1

library for generating Python executable zip files

https://github.com/pantsbuild/pex

sudo apt install pex

Section: universe/python
Architecture: all
Source Package: python-pex
6 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Pex

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: pex from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

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/pex.yml

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

Install pex with Homebrew, apt