# Install libassuan with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, apt, zypper Assuan IPC Library. Version 3.0.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libassuan-dev. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:libassuan ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install libassuan ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install libassuan ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/libassuan/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add libassuan ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libassuan from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install libassuan ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libassuan from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#libassuan ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libassuan/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S libassuan ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: libassuan from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libassuan-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libassuan-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libassuan-devel ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libassuan-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:libassuan - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 3.0.2 - **Source summary:** Assuan IPC Library - **Homepage:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - libassuan-config (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 3.0.2 ## Project history and usage Libassuan is the GnuPG project's IPC library for the Assuan protocol. It exists so GnuPG front ends and helper processes can talk through a small, auditable client/server protocol instead of sharing one address space with sensitive cryptographic state. ### Project history The Assuan manual says the protocol and library were developed for GNU Privacy Guard so user interfaces, mail clients, and other encryption front ends could communicate with smaller GnuPG server components without being able to corrupt or inspect server memory. The GnuPG project page describes Libassuan as a small library implementing the Assuan protocol, with both client-side and server-side functions. Development is hosted in the GnuPG Git infrastructure. ### Adoption history Libassuan became part of the broader GnuPG component stack. GnuPG describes the protocol as used for IPC between most newer GnuPG components, and release announcements also describe it as used by GnuPG, GPGME, and related packages. ### How it is used Programs use Libassuan to build transaction-oriented IPC over pipes or Unix domain sockets. The protocol is mostly text based, supports client/server communication with a back channel, descriptor passing for bulk data, and optional confidentiality features for parts of a conversation. ### Why package nerds care Libassuan is one of those small GnuPG libraries that appear everywhere because key management, pinentry, GPGME, and package-signature tooling depend on the GnuPG stack. For package maintainers, it matters less as a user-facing tool than as a security plumbing layer with ABI and licensing implications. ### Timeline - 2001: Assuan manual copyright history begins with the Free Software Foundation. - 2015: Libassuan 2.3.0 announcement describes it as a generic IPC library used by GnuPG and GPGME. - 2017: The published Assuan manual edition 2.5.3 is dated 2017-12-07. - 2020: The GnuPG Libassuan project page records a 2020-11-19 page change. ### Related projects - GnuPG, GPGME, pinentry, libgpg-error, libgcrypt, libksba, and nPth are the closest package-stack relatives. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for libassuan. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libassuan-dev - 3.0.2-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libassuan-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | IPC library for the GnuPG components -- header files | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - Debian apt - libassuan-mingw-w64-dev - 3.0.2-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libassuan-mingw-w64-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | IPC library for the GnuPG components -- Windows port | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - Debian apt - libassuan9 - 3.0.2-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libassuan9 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | IPC library for the GnuPG components | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - Nix - libassuan: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libassuan/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libassuan-dev - 2.5.6-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libassuan-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | IPC library for the GnuPG components -- header files | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - Ubuntu apt - libassuan-mingw-w64-dev - 2.5.6-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libassuan-mingw-w64-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | IPC library for the GnuPG components -- Windows port | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - Ubuntu apt - libassuan0 - 2.5.6-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libassuan0 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | IPC library for the GnuPG components | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.html - apk - libassuan - 3.0.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libassuan from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | IPC library used by some GnuPG related software | https://www.gnupg.org/software/libassuan/index.html - apk - libassuan-dev - 3.0.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libassuan-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | IPC library used by some GnuPG related software (development files) | https://www.gnupg.org/software/libassuan/index.html - apk - libassuan-doc - 3.0.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libassuan-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | IPC library used by some GnuPG related software (documentation) | https://www.gnupg.org/software/libassuan/index.html - apk - libassuan-static - 3.0.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libassuan-static from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | IPC library used by some GnuPG related software (static library) | https://www.gnupg.org/software/libassuan/index.html - dnf - libassuan - 2.5.7-6.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libassuan from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | GnuPG IPC library | https://www.gnupg.org/ - dnf - libassuan-devel - 2.5.7-6.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libassuan-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | GnuPG IPC library | https://www.gnupg.org/ - pacman - libassuan - 3.0.0-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: libassuan from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | IPC library used by some GnuPG related software | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/ - zypper - libassuan-devel - 3.0.2-1.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libassuan-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | IPC library used by GnuPG version 2 | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.en.html - zypper - libassuan9 - 3.0.2-1.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libassuan9 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | IPC library used by GnuPG version 2 | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libassuan/index.en.html ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libassuan.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/libassuan.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph