# Install oak with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix

Expressive, simple, dynamic programming language. Version 0.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#oak.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:oak
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install oak
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install oak
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/oak/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#oak
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:oak
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.3
- **Source summary:** Expressive, simple, dynamic programming language
- **Homepage:** <https://oaklang.org/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/thesephist/oak>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T23:46:48+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- oak (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.3
## Project history and usage

Oak is Linus Lee's small dynamically typed programming language, distributed as a single oak command that includes an interpreter, formatter, bundler, JavaScript compiler path, test runner, documentation tooling, and standard library.

### Project history

The GitHub repository was created on 2021-07-09. The Oak website says Lee had been building Oak since early July 2021 and frames it as a sequel to Ink: not an Ink 2.0 upgrade, but a different language meant to keep Ink's small-language feel while fixing shortcomings that appeared after using Ink for personal productivity tools, compilers, ray tracers, and other projects.

### Adoption history

Oak is intentionally niche. Its website says it was designed for Lee's hobby projects and had become his main language for simple scripts, side projects, and personal knowledge tools since late 2021. Homebrew reported stable version 0.3 with 68 installs over the 365-day analytics window queried on 2026-07-01.

### How it is used

Users run oak as a REPL, pass .oak files to execute scripts, use oak fmt for formatting, and use oak build to bundle programs or cross-compile Oak bundles to JavaScript for browser, Node.js, or Deno environments. The examples emphasize functional-style code, pattern-matching if expressions, callback-oriented asynchronous I/O, and a built-in HTTP server/router in the standard library.

### Why package nerds care

Oak matters less as a mainstream language and more as a well-packaged personal language runtime: Go implementation, single executable, Homebrew availability, self-hosted standard-library examples, and a public website documenting the design tradeoffs of a solo language project.

### Timeline

- 2021-07-09: GitHub repository created.
- Late 2021: Oak website says it became the author's main language for simple scripts, side projects, and personal knowledge tools.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported stable version 0.3.

### Related projects

- Ink
- September
- oaklang GitHub topic

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/thesephist/oak>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/oak.json>
- <https://github.com/thesephist/oak>
- <https://oaklang.org/>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thesephist/oak/main/README.md>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

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

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - oak: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/oa/oak/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- MacPorts - oak: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/oak/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

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