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Top Hex Editors for Linux
Hex editor lets you view/edit the binary data of a file – which is in the form of “hexadecimal” values and hence the name “Hex” editor. Let’s be frank, not everyone needs it. Only a specific group of users who have to deal with the binary data use it.
If you have no idea, what it is, let me give you an example. Suppose, you have the configuration files of a game, you can open them using a hex editor and change certain values to have more ammo/score and so on. To know more about Hex editors, you should start with the Wikipedia page.
In case you already know what’s it used for – let us take a look at the best Hex editors available for Linux.
5 Best Hex Editors Available
Note: The hex editors mentioned are in no particular order of ranking.
1. Bless Hex Editor
Key Features :
- Raw disk editing
- Multilevel undo/redo operations.
- Multiple tabs
- Conversion table
- Plugin support to extend the functionality
Bless is one of the most popular Hex editor available for Linux. You can find it listed in your AppCenter or Software Center. If that is not the case, you can check out their GitHub page for the build and the instructions associated.
It can easily handle editing big files without slowing down – so it’s a fast hex editor.
2. GNOME Hex Editor
Key Features:
-
View/Edit in either Hex/Ascii
-
Edit large files
Yet another amazing Hex editor – specifically tailored for GNOME. Well, I personally use Elementary OS, so I find it listed in the App Center. You should find it in the Software Center as well. If not, refer to the GitHub page for the source.
You can use this editor to view/edit in either hex or ASCII. The user interface is quite simple – as you can see in the image above.
3. Okteta
Key Features:
- Customizable data views
- Multiple tabs
- Character encodings: All 8-bit encodings as supplied by Qt, EBCDIC
- Decoding table listing common simple data types.
Okteta is a simple hex editor with not so fancy features. Although it can handle most of the tasks. There’s a separate module of it which you can use to embed this in other programs to view/edit files.
Similar to all the above-mentioned editors, you can find this listed on your AppCenter and Software center as well.
4. wxHexEditor
Key Features:
- Easily handle big files
- Has x86 disassembly support
- **** Sector Indication **** on Disk devices
- Supports customizable hex panel formatting and colors.
This is something interesting. It is primarily a Hex editor but you can also use it as a low level disk editor. For example, if you have a problem with your HDD, you can use this editor to edit the the sectors in raw hex and fix it.
You can find it listed on your App Center and Software Center. If not, Sourceforge is the way to go.
5. Hexedit (Command Line)
Key Features :
- Works via terminal
- It’s fast and simple
If you want something to work on your terminal, you can go ahead and install Hexedit via the console. It’s my favorite Linux hex editor in command line.
When you launch it, you will have to specify the location of the file, and it’ll then open it for you.
To install it, just type in:
sudo apt install hexedit
Wrapping Up
Hex editors could come in handy to experiment and learn. If you are someone experienced, you should opt for the one with more feature – with a GUI. Although, it all comes down to personal preferences.
What do you think about the usefulness of Hex editors? Which one do you use? Did we miss listing your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
via: https://itsfoss.com/hex-editors-linux
作者：Ankush Das 选题：lujun9972 译者：译者ID 校对：校对者ID