Install jadx with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• jadx
• jadx-gui

Project history

The public GitHub repository was created in March 2013 and describes the project as a Dex to Java decompiler. The README frames jadx around two surfaces, `jadx` for command-line workflows and `jadx-gui` for interactive reverse-engineering, with core features such as Dalvik bytecode decompilation, Android resource decoding, and deobfuscation.

Over time the project grew from a decompiler into a broader Android inspection workbench. The README documents syntax-highlighted browsing, jump-to-declaration, usage search, full-text search, and a smali debugger in the GUI, while release notes show continuing work on newer Android formats, Gradle export, plugin handling, malformed archive resistance, and DEX format changes.

Adoption history

jadx became a standard package-manager tool for Android reverse-engineering because it avoids the split between a GUI-only app and a scriptable decompiler. The project README lists package-manager installs through Arch Linux, Homebrew, and Flathub, and Homebrew API data available during this enrichment recorded 31,173 installs over 365 days.

Its high GitHub star count, release download badges, Maven Central badge for `jadx-core`, and separate `jadx-gui` workflow all point to adoption by both individual reverse engineers and Java tooling users who embed the decompiler library.

How it is used

Typical use is to point `jadx` or `jadx-gui` at an Android artifact and emit Java-like source, decoded resources, or a browsable project view. The README explicitly warns that decompilation is not perfect, which is part of the tool's practical culture: package users expect fast inspection and good-enough reconstruction rather than source recovery guarantees.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, jadx is the Android decompiler that makes a Homebrew, Arch, Flatpak, or Windows package feel equivalent to a small reverse-engineering suite. It matters because it packages a Java/Android-specific workflow into predictable CLI and GUI entry points, while still exposing `jadx-core` for library use.

Timeline

• 2013: GitHub repository created for the Dex-to-Java decompiler.
• 2024: v1.5.1 release notes included GUI navigation/search refinements, smali code folding, and resource decoding work.
• 2025: v1.5.2 release notes included Gradle export templates, APKM support, and initial DEX v41 support.
• 2026: v1.5.4 release notes added CLI configuration load/save support.

Related projects

• jadx sits near apktool, smali/baksmali, Android Studio, and other APK inspection tools, but its niche is Java-like source reconstruction plus a browsable GUI. Its plugin and library surfaces also make it adjacent to Java build tooling and custom Android analysis pipelines.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/skylot/jadx
• https://api.github.com/repos/skylot/jadx/releases?per_page=5
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/jadx.json
• https://github.com/skylot/jadx
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skylot/jadx/master/README.md