macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install nvilocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install nviMacPorts ports tree · editors/nvi/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 8214
Install nvi with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix, dnf
44BSD re-implementation of vi. Version 1.81.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-28. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install nvi.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install nviDebian stable package indexes · nvi · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#nvinixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/nv/nvi/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install nexFedora Rawhide package metadata · nex · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
44BSD re-implementation of vi
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nex
- nvi
- nview
history
Project history and usage
nvi is the Berkeley-line reimplementation of ex/vi: a small, traditional vi rather than a Vim-family editor. In package-manager terms it is the BSD vi option people install when they want historical ex/vi behavior with nvi's later conveniences.
Project history
The nvi source describes the editor as a reimplementation of the ex/vi editors from 4BSD. Keith Bostic's Berkeley Vi page says the source is freely available and redistributable, and lists features that distinguished nvi from old vi, including multiple edit buffers, command-line editing, path completion, tag stacks with cscope support, extended regular expressions, infinite undo, horizontal scrolling, message catalogs, and early Perl/Tcl scripting support.
The repo.or.cz README records the deeper lineage: nvi was originally derived from Steve Kirkendall's elvis vi clone, uses Henry Spencer's POSIX-style regular expression code, and retains acknowledgements to Bill Joy and Mark Horton from original vi. The maintained repo also shows ongoing maintenance by Sven Verdoolaege.
Adoption history
nvi's adoption is mostly Unix/BSD preservation rather than hype-cycle growth. It appears in Homebrew, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, and related package sets as the classic 44BSD vi reimplementation, while Homebrew's formula distributes version 1.81.6 as bottled packages for macOS and Linux.
Homebrew marks the formula deprecated. That does not erase nvi's historical role, but it does show the Homebrew package has become a legacy editor package rather than an actively expanding developer-tool ecosystem.
How it is used
Users run nvi directly as `nvi`, `nex`, or `nview` for vi, ex, and read-only view workflows. Package nerds pick it for low-dependency POSIX-ish editing, scripts or muscle memory built around vi/ex behavior, and systems where Vim or Neovim would be more editor than needed.
The practical distinction is that nvi aims to preserve ex/vi semantics while adding careful terminal-era quality-of-life features. It is a good fit for editing config files, working over remote shells, and testing vi-compatible behavior.
Why package nerds care
nvi is significant because it carries the Berkeley vi branch into modern package managers. It is not the most popular vi implementation, but it is one of the reference points for what 'real vi' means on BSD-like systems.
Its package story is also a reminder that some important packages are maintained as infrastructure memory: small install counts, old code, and still useful when compatibility matters.
Timeline
- 4BSD era: ex/vi originated in the Berkeley Software Distribution lineage.
- 1990s: nvi became the freely redistributable Berkeley vi reimplementation associated with Keith Bostic.
- 2001-04-30: the repo.or.cz README revision identifies the tree as nvi 1.80-era source.
- 2000s: repo.or.cz tags record the 1.81.x line, including nvi-1.81.6.
Related projects
- elvis is the vi clone from which the nvi README says the project was originally derived.
- Vim and Neovim are larger vi-family editors with much broader plugin ecosystems.
- nvi2 is a multibyte-oriented fork of nvi.
Sources
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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
nex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nvi | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nview | 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 version1.81.6
manager updated2026-06-28
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:nvi |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.81.6 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://repo.or.cz/nvi.git |
| Last updated | 2026-06-28T21:02:37+01:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
nvi 1.81.6-23
4.4BSD re-implementation of vi
sudo apt install nvi- Section: editors
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
Debian apt95%
nvi-doc 1.81.6-23
4.4BSD re-implementation of vi - documentation files
sudo apt install nvi-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: nvi
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
Nix95%
nvi
nix profile install nixpkgs#nvi- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
Ubuntu apt95%
nvi 1.81.6-21
4.4BSD re-implementation of vi
sudo apt install nvi- Section: universe/editors
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
Ubuntu apt95%
nvi-doc 1.81.6-21
4.4BSD re-implementation of vi - documentation files
sudo apt install nvi-doc- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: nvi
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
MacPorts95%
nvi
sudo port install nvi- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nvi
Debian apt92%
nex 0.0.0+git.2021.03.30.1a3320dab9-3
lexer similar to Lex/Flex - cli
sudo apt install nex- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: golang-github-blynn-nex
- 1 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Nex
Nix92%
nex
nix profile install nixpkgs#nex- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Nex
Ubuntu apt92%
nex 0.0.0+git.2021.03.30.1a3320dab9-2
lexer similar to Lex/Flex - cli
sudo apt install nex- Section: universe/admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: golang-github-blynn-nex
- 1 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Nex
dnf92%
nex 20210330-19.fc45
A lexer generator for Go that is similar to Lex/Flex
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~blynn/nex/
sudo dnf install nex- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nex
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Nex
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation