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brew install libksbaprovider-native install command
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Install libksba with Homebrew
X.509 and CMS library. Version 1.8.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
X.509 and CMS library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ksba-config
history
Project history and usage
Libksba is GnuPG's X.509 and CMS library. It gives C applications a shared interface for parsing and handling X.509 certificates, CMS/PKCS#7 messages, certificate revocation lists, and PKCS#10 certificate requests.
Project history
GnuPG's Libksba page describes the library as a way to hide the many protocol details and dialects of X.509 certificates, CMS data, and related objects behind one C API. The README explains that KSBA is pronounced Kasbah, ships as a standard shared library, and deliberately does not rely on another cryptographic library.
The reference manual edition 1.0.6 was last updated on 2009-01-09 for KSBA 1.0.6, showing that Libksba had already stabilized as a documented component of the GnuPG library set by the late 2000s. GnuPG download metadata lists Libksba 1.8.0 on 2026-05-13.
Adoption history
Libksba's adoption is mostly through GnuPG and GnuPG-adjacent packaging. The README says GnuPG's dirmngr module makes extensive use of Libksba's OCSP feature, while GnuPG documentation and related manuals identify gpgsm as the X.509/CMS counterpart to gpg for S/MIME workflows.
It appears in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Alpine, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, and openSUSE because GnuPG stacks are base security infrastructure on Unix-like systems. Users rarely install it for its own UI; they inherit it through certificate, S/MIME, and CMS support.
How it is used
Developers use Libksba when they need C-level access to X.509 certificate structures, CMS messages, CRLs, PKCS#10 requests, and related parsing/serialization inside GnuPG-style applications. Packagers see ksba-config as the small build-helper executable attached to the library.
Why package nerds care
Libksba is significant because it is a quiet security plumbing package: not the cryptographic primitive library, not the mail client, and not the gpg command, but the X.509/CMS parser layer that lets GnuPG's S/MIME side exist as a separately packaged dependency.
Timeline
- 2001: README copyright range begins with 2001 for g10 Code GmbH.
- 2009-01-09: KSBA Reference Manual edition 1.0.6 last updated for library version 1.0.6.
- 2020-11-19: GnuPG Libksba web page source date.
- 2026-05-13: GnuPG download page lists Libksba 1.8.0.
Related projects
- Related projects include GnuPG, gpgsm, dirmngr, GPGME, Gpg4win, S/MIME, X.509, CMS/PKCS#7, CRLs, OCSP, and PKCS#10 tooling.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for libksba. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ksba-config | 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 version1.8.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libksba |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.8.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/libksba/ |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation