# Install joker with Homebrew, apk, Nix, zypper

Small Clojure interpreter, linter and formatter. Version 1.9.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-25. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#joker.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:joker
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install joker
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add joker
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: joker from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#joker
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/jo/joker/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install joker
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: joker from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:joker
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.9.0
- **Source summary:** Small Clojure interpreter, linter and formatter
- **Homepage:** <https://joker-lang.org/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/candid82/joker>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-25T20:58:05-04:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- joker (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.9.0
## Project history and usage

Joker is a small Clojure interpreter, linter, and formatter written in Go. It targets scripting and tooling use cases where Clojure syntax is desirable but JVM startup and full Clojure compatibility are not the goal.

### Project history

The candid82/joker repository was created in December 2016 and published its v0.5.0 release the same day. The README frames Joker as a Clojure dialect with deliberate limits: close syntax and semantics where implemented, but no attempt at complete Clojure parity or high-performance execution.

Over time Joker grew from an interpreter into a compact toolchain for Clojure-family files, adding REPL, script execution, eval, linting, formatting, and EDN pretty-printing modes.

### Adoption history

Joker's README documents package-manager paths through Homebrew, Arch Linux's AUR, Nix, and precompiled binaries. Homebrew packages it as the joker formula and builds from Go when needed.

### How it is used

Users run joker for a REPL, execute .joke scripts, evaluate expressions from the command line, lint files or directories, and format Clojure source or EDN. The project goals explicitly favor lightweight scripting, fast startup, helpful errors, and tooling for Clojure and ClojureScript code.

### Why package nerds care

Joker is package-nerd-interesting because it packages a Clojure-like command-line experience as a Go-built binary rather than a JVM runtime. That makes it attractive for shell scripts, editor integrations, and package formulas where startup time and a small dependency footprint matter.

### Timeline

- 2016: The GitHub repository was created and v0.5.0 was released.
- 2017: The v0.7.0 release followed early development.
- 2019: The README documented Joker as interpreter, linter, formatter, and scripting tool.
- 2026: The v1.8 release line appeared in GitHub release metadata.

### Related projects

- Related projects and ecosystems include Clojure, ClojureScript, EDN tooling, clj-kondo-like linting workflows, Homebrew, Nix, Arch AUR, and Go-based single-binary CLI packaging.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/candid82/joker>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/candid82/joker/releases?per_page=100>
- <https://candid82.github.io/joker>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/joker>
- <https://github.com/candid82/joker>
- <https://joker-lang.org/>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

- **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium
- generalized runtime or code generation signal

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - joker: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/jo/joker/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- apk - joker - 1.5.8-r7: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: joker from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Small Clojure interpreter, linter and formatter written in Go | https://joker-lang.org/
- zypper - joker - 1.4.0-2.8: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: joker from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Small Clojure interpreter, linter and formatter written in Go | https://joker-lang.org


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/joker.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/joker.yml)


## Sources

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