brew / rank 11420

Install kona with Homebrew, Nix, winget

Open-source implementation of the K programming language. Version 20211225 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#kona.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kona

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kona

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Tencent.WeSing -e

Windows Package Manager source index · Tencent.WeSing · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Open-source implementation of the K programming language

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

history

Project history and usage

Kona is an open-source implementation of the k3 programming language, one member of the K family associated with Arthur Whitney and Kx Systems. It gives Unix package managers a buildable, inspectable implementation of a historically proprietary array language lineage.

Project history

The repository was created on 2010-08-25. Its README explains that Kona targets k3, describes K as a synthesis of APL and Lisp, and says Kona is unaffiliated with Kx. The README also places k3 in the lineage of k1, k2, k3, k4, q, KDB, and KDB+.

Adoption history

Kona's audience is smaller than mainstream language runtimes but unusually durable: array-language enthusiasts, performance-oriented programmers, and people studying the K/KDB+ ecosystem use it as a source-available route into a language family that otherwise has limited public implementation material.

How it is used

The Homebrew package installs the `k` executable, making the interpreter accessible from a shell. The project is mainly used interactively and for studying K idioms rather than as a broad application platform.

Why package nerds care

Kona is package-nerd significant because it preserves access to an older K dialect in source form. It also exposes the famously terse C implementation style associated with the K tradition, which makes it a cultural artifact as much as a language runtime.

Timeline

2010-08-25: GitHub repository created.
2014-09-24: Win.3.06-32 release published.
2014-08-24: W3.08-64 tag created.

Related projects

Kona is related to APL, Lisp, K, k3, k4, q, KDB, KDB+, Kx Systems, and other open K-family implementations documented by the K community.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:programming language

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.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`k`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered 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 version20211225

manager updated

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kona
Version	20211225
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/kevinlawler/kona
Repository	https://github.com/kevinlawler/kona
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none 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.

Nix95%

kona

nix profile install nixpkgs#kona

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kona

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

winget92%

Tencent.WeSing

winget install --id Tencent.WeSing -e

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: K

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: Tencent.WeSing from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix