pkg.soopen package index

brew / rank 6754

Install dwm with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix

Dynamic window manager. Version 6.8 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install dwm.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install dwm

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add dwm

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dwm · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install dwm

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#dwm

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/dw/dwm/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Dynamic window manager

Commands and aliases

  • dwm

history

Project history and usage

dwm is the suckless dynamic window manager for X. The official page describes tiled, monocle, and floating layouts, tag-based window grouping, a small status bar, and a design that is intentionally smaller, faster, and simpler than predecessors such as ion, larswm, and wmii.

Project history

The official git refs show dwm 0.1 tagged on 2006-07-14 by Anselm R. Garbe, followed by rapid 0.x and 1.x releases in 2006. By the 4.x and 5.x series it had settled into the small-C-source, edit-and-rebuild configuration style that became central to the suckless identity.

The official customisation page explains the distinctive model: dwm is configured by editing config.h, a C header included by dwm.c, and config.mk for build/install settings. The main page argues that source-code configuration is fast and secure because dwm does not process unknown runtime configuration input apart from window titles and status text.

Adoption history

dwm's own site says binary packages are somewhat beside the point because users are expected to customize source, while also acknowledging that some distributions provide packages. The batch input lists apk, Homebrew, Debian, Nix, and Ubuntu, showing the tension that makes dwm famous in packaging culture: it is widely packaged even though upstream thinks the most authentic install is local source customization.

How it is used

Users run dwm as an X window manager, arrange clients dynamically across tiled, monocle, and floating layouts, tag windows instead of placing them into conventional workspaces, and feed status text through the root window name. Customization usually means editing config.h, applying patches from the official patch collection, rebuilding, and carrying the local diff forward.

Why package nerds care

dwm is one of the canonical minimalist Unix desktop packages. It is tiny, patch-oriented, hostile to sprawling configuration layers, and influential far beyond its source size. For package nerds it is a touchstone in debates about source-as-config, downstream patch stacks, reproducible personal builds, and how far a package manager should go when upstream expects users to edit C.

Timeline

  • 2006: dwm 0.1 tagged in the official git repository.
  • 2007: 4.x releases continue rapid development of the early design.
  • 2011: dwm 6.0 tagged.
  • 2019: dwm 6.2 tagged after a slower mature-release cadence.
  • 2026: dwm 6.8 released on 2026-01-30; official refs show master activity in March 2026.

Related projects

  • The official page places dwm against ion, larswm, and wmii, points users to dmenu, and lists related or influenced projects including awesome, dvtm, dwl, i3, qtile, scrotwm, xmonad, and several dwm forks or ports.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
config.h

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
dwmexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

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 generated2026-08-03
manager version6.8
manager updated2026-06-25
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:dwm
Version6.8
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://dwm.suckless.org/
Last updated2026-06-25T13:37:39+02:00
Pulseupdated
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

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%

dwm 6.5-1

dynamic window manager

http://dwm.suckless.org/

sudo apt install dwm
  • Section: x11
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 4 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dwm
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: dwm from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

dwm

nix profile install nixpkgs#dwm
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dwm
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dw/dwm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

dwm 6.4-1

dynamic window manager

https://dwm.suckless.org/

sudo apt install dwm
  • Section: universe/x11
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 4 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dwm
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: dwm from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

dwm 6.8-r0

dwm - dynamic window manager

https://dwm.suckless.org

sudo apk add dwm
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: dwm
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dwm
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dwm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

dwm-doc 6.8-r0

dwm - dynamic window manager (documentation)

https://dwm.suckless.org

sudo apk add dwm-doc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: dwm
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Dwm
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dwm-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.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.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • pkg.so package database
  • pkgdb category and tag curation