eix

Search for a package

$ eix [query]

$ eix --installed [query]

$ eix --description "[description]"

$ eix --license [license]

$ eix --not --license [license]

eix [options] [patterns]

-h, --help
    Display detailed help and exit

-V, --version
    Print version information

-c, --nocolor
    Disable colored output

-C , --config
    Use alternate config file

-u, --updated
    Show only updated packages

-I, --installed
    Match only installed packages

-i, --installed-only
    Like -I but implies no uninstalled matches

-S, --search-desc
    Search descriptions (default with patterns)

--name
    Search only package names/categories

--match
    Search specific metadata fields (e.g., license,homepage)

--nomatch
    Exclude matches from specified fields

--and
    Require all patterns to match

--or
    Match any pattern

--regex
    Treat patterns as regex (default glob)

--pure-glob
    Strict glob matching, no regex

--system
    Show only system packages

--overlay
    Restrict to specific overlay

--local
    Match local/virtual packages

-l, --long
    Detailed long listing

-t, --terse
    Compact output

--format
    Custom output format string

--stats
    Display package statistics

--diff
    Show package changes

eix is an advanced search and analysis tool for Gentoo's Portage package management system. It builds and maintains local indexes of ebuild metadata from the Portage tree, overlays, and installed packages, enabling lightning-fast searches that outperform traditional emerge --search, which rescans the entire tree each time.

Key features include regex and glob pattern matching across package names, descriptions, categories, licenses, maintainers, homepages, and more. Users can filter by installed status, updates, overlays, or local sets; combine queries with logical operators (AND/OR/NOT); and generate statistics or custom output formats like CSV, XML, or HTML. eix-update rebuilds indexes after Portage changes, supporting world sets and virtuals. It's essential for Gentoo users with large repositories or many overlays, reducing search times from seconds to milliseconds.

eix also offers package statistics (--stats), diff views (--diff), and integration with tools like genlop for upgrade analysis. Configuration via /etc/eix.conf allows customizing index paths, search fields, and output styles.

Gentoo-specific; requires eix-update for index maintenance. Indexes can grow large with many overlays. Not compatible with non-Portage systems.

Run eix-update after sync or overlay changes: eix-update -u for quick updates, eix-sync for full rebuild.

Edit /etc/eix.conf for DBPATH, IFACEVIRT, search fields, and output colors. Supports per-overlay configs.

eix firefox: search packages.
eix -I --updated: installed updates.
eix --stats: repo stats.

Developed by Wolfgang E. Sanyer in 2004 as a faster alternative to emerge --search. First release 0.4.1; evolved to support overlays (2007), sets/virtuals (2009), and modern Portage features. Actively maintained on GitHub, current versions (e.g., 1.40+) handle EAPI 8+.

emerge(1), eix-update(1), equery(1), qlist(1), portage(5)