brew / rank 2920

Install bluez with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper, MacPorts

Bluetooth protocol stack for Linux. Version 5.87 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-05. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install bluetooth.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bluez

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install bluemoon

MacPorts ports tree · games/bluemoon/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add bluez

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · bluez · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install bluez

Debian stable package indexes · bluez · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install bluez

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · bluez · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#bluez

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bl/bluez/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S bluez

Arch Linux sync databases · bluez · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install bluez

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · bluez · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Bluetooth protocol stack for Linux

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

bluemoon
bluetoothctl
btattach
btmon
hex2hcd
isotest
l2ping
l2test
mpris-proxy
rctest

history

Project history and usage

BlueZ is the standard Linux user-space Bluetooth stack: the daemons, libraries, tools, and D-Bus APIs that make the kernel Bluetooth subsystem usable from distributions and desktop environments.

Project history

The BlueZ project has long been published from the Linux kernel infrastructure, with its canonical source repository hosted under git.kernel.org's bluetooth namespace and identified there as the Bluetooth protocol stack for Linux.

BlueZ evolved alongside Linux Bluetooth support: early releases exposed separate tools and profile helpers, while later releases centered the stack on bluetoothd, D-Bus APIs, and kernel/user-space cooperation for controllers, pairing, audio, input, and low-energy devices.

The BlueZ 4 series began in August 2008 and BlueZ 5 followed in December 2012, both visible in the official git.kernel.org tag history as major line changes in the Linux Bluetooth user-space stack.

Adoption history

BlueZ became the default Bluetooth stack carried by Linux distributions because it is the upstream implementation for the Linux Bluetooth ecosystem, not just a third-party command-line utility.

Its adoption is visible in package managers: the same project is shipped by Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, openSUSE, Nix, and MacPorts, often split by distributions into daemons, libraries, tools, and compatibility packages.

The project also shaped desktop and embedded Linux Bluetooth usage. GNOME-facing bluez-gnome work tracked the BlueZ 4 D-Bus API transition, while embedded guides commonly build directly from the kernel.org BlueZ tarballs for board bring-up.

How it is used

Package users usually meet BlueZ through bluetoothd, bluetoothctl, btmon, btattach, l2ping, and related diagnostic tools. It is used for pairing devices, attaching HCI controllers, inspecting traffic, testing L2CAP/RFCOMM behavior, and running profile support.

On Linux systems, BlueZ is configured through files such as /etc/bluetooth/main.conf and integrated with system services, udev, D-Bus, PulseAudio/PipeWire, NetworkManager, and desktop Bluetooth front ends.

Why package nerds care

BlueZ is package-nerd-important because it sits at the boundary where kernel interfaces, D-Bus APIs, firmware quirks, Bluetooth qualification, desktop UX, audio stacks, and security patches all collide.

It is also a classic distro-maintainer package: upstream releases may affect controllers, headphones, keyboards, low-energy devices, mesh tooling, audio profiles, and security posture, so downstreams often carry patches while tracking upstream closely.

For Homebrew specifically, bluez is unusual because it brings Linux Bluetooth tooling to a macOS package manager even though the core stack is Linux-native; the formula is most useful for development, diagnostics, and cross-platform tooling rather than replacing Apple's Bluetooth stack.

Timeline

2000s: BlueZ becomes the Linux Bluetooth user-space stack hosted in the kernel.org Bluetooth source area.
2008-08: BlueZ 4.0 is tagged in the official git.kernel.org repository.
2012-12: BlueZ 5.0 is tagged in the official git.kernel.org repository.
2010s-2020s: BlueZ remains hosted under git.kernel.org and distributed across mainstream Linux package managers.

Related projects

Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem: the in-kernel protocols and HCI drivers BlueZ controls from user space.
bluetoothd and bluetoothctl: the central daemon and interactive control CLI shipped by BlueZ.
btmon and hcidump: packet monitoring and historical diagnostic tooling around Linux Bluetooth.
PulseAudio and PipeWire: Linux audio stacks that depend on BlueZ integration for Bluetooth audio devices.
GNOME Bluetooth and other desktop front ends: user interfaces built on top of BlueZ's D-Bus APIs.

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.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Linux: /etc/bluetooth/main.conf

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`bluemoon`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`bluetoothctl`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`btattach`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`btmon`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`hex2hcd`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`isotest`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`l2ping`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`l2test`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`mpris-proxy`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`rctest`	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 version5.87

manager updated2026-07-05

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bluez
Version	5.87
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://www.bluez.org
Last updated	2026-07-05T09:17:21Z
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%

bluetooth 5.82-1.1

Bluetooth support (metapackage)