LXR Cross Referencer indexes source code and presents it for web browsing, linking identifiers to their definitions and uses. The project says it can cover projects beyond the Linux kernel and may be used to monitor development or study a codebase. LXR produces regular HTML for available browsers and should work with a web server that supports CGI scripts. Setup requires installing the source, configuring a database, loading source-tree data, and configuring the server. Listed database choices are MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and SQLite; source-tree storage options include files, CVS, Git, Subversion, and BitKeeper. LXR 2.3 adds full-text search for source management repositories except CVS and BitKeeper, provided users accept checking out repository sources. Its language parsers identify character sequences that resemble identifiers rather than performing compiler-grade parsing. Database browsing is read-only, with write access reserved for genxref. The software is free and self-installed; the project directs users to its forum and trackers for contacting developers and reporting issues. New releases are being moved to Codeberg and will only be posted there.
Who it is for
LXR may suit developers monitoring a project or readers studying source code who can install and configure a web-based tool. It is intended for codebases beyond the Linux kernel as well.
What is good
- Links identifiers to definitions and uses.
- Supports several database and source-storage options.
- Full-text search is available for eligible repositories.
- Produces HTML for web browsers.
- Database browsing access is read-only.
What to know first
- Requires database, source-tree, and web-server setup.
- Parsers are not compiler-grade.
- Full-text search excludes CVS and BitKeeper repositories.
- New releases are posted only on Codeberg.
Verdict
LXR is a free, self-hosted option for browsing indexed code with links between identifiers and their uses. Its setup work and parser limits make it important to check the installation and language-analysis fit for your project.
Get started with LXR Cross Referencer
- Install the LXR source.
- Choose and configure a database.
- Populate LXR with source-tree data.
- Configure a web server with CGI-script capability.
- Open the generated HTML in an available web browser.
What the free plan stops at
The parsers are not compiler-grade and instead extract character sequences that look like identifiers. Version 2.3 full-text search is available for source management repositories except CVS and BitKeeper, and requires accepting source checkouts.
Questions about LXR Cross Referencer
How much does LXR Cross Referencer cost?
It is free open-source software. The listed plan price is free.
Is LXR self-hosted?
Yes. The listed deployment is self-hosted, and the software is self-installed.
Which databases can it use?
The configuration guide lists MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
Which source storage options are listed?
The installation configuration lists files, CVS, Git, Subversion, and BitKeeper.
What does LXR do with source code?
It indexes and cross-references source code, linking identifiers to their definitions and uses for web browsing.
Where are new releases posted?
The official site says new releases are being migrated to Codeberg and will only be posted there.
LXR Cross Referencer plans and pricing
All plansCompared on code search tools
- Indexing scope
- codebase
- Deployment
- self_hosted
- Code navigation
- Yes
