macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libnllocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 3579
Install libnl with Homebrew, Nix, pacman
Netlink Library Suite. Version 3.12.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#libnl.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libnlnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libnl/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libnlArch Linux sync databases · libnl · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Netlink Library Suite
Project links
Commands and aliases
- genl-ctrl-list
- idiag-socket-details
- nf-ct-add
- nf-ct-events
- nf-ct-list
- nf-exp-add
- nf-exp-delete
- nf-exp-list
- nf-log
- nf-monitor
- nf-queue
- nl-addr-add
- nl-addr-delete
- nl-addr-list
- nl-class-add
- nl-class-delete
- nl-class-list
- nl-classid-lookup
- nl-cls-add
- nl-cls-delete
- nl-cls-list
- nl-fib-lookup
- nl-link-enslave
- nl-link-ifindex2name
- nl-link-list
- nl-link-name2ifindex
- nl-link-release
- nl-link-set
- nl-link-stats
- nl-list-caches
- nl-list-sockets
- nl-monitor
history
Project history and usage
libnl is the Netlink Protocol Library Suite, a set of C libraries for Linux applications that talk to kernel netlink interfaces. Netlink replaced many ioctl-style networking control paths with a message-based IPC mechanism between user space and the kernel.
Project history
The Infradead project page describes libnl as a suite split into smaller libraries: libnl for socket and message fundamentals, libnl-route for NETLINK_ROUTE interfaces, libnl-genl for generic netlink, and libnl-nf for netfilter interfaces. The split is explicitly intended to avoid forcing every application to link one large library.
The project history includes a long-lived 1.1.x branch and a 3.x branch. The Infradead page warns that 1.1.x support is limited and tells new applications to target libnl3, while also documenting distribution package names for CentOS, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE, Slackware, and Ubuntu.
Adoption history
libnl became a standard dependency for Linux networking software that needed structured access to routes, addresses, links, traffic control, generic netlink families, and netfilter state. Its inclusion in many distribution package sets reflects netlink's role as the Linux kernel's preferred extensible networking control API.
How it is used
Callers use libnl core primitives for netlink sockets, message construction, parsing, send, receive, and cache handling, then add family-specific libraries when they need route, generic netlink, or netfilter support. The Homebrew package exposes many nl-* and nf-* command-line helpers around those APIs.
Why package nerds care
libnl matters to package maintainers because it is Linux-specific, ABI-sensitive, and central to network managers, firewall tools, wireless stacks, containers, and low-level diagnostics. The project's documented SONAME problems in releases 3.2.18 and 3.2.19 show why distributions track its ABI carefully.
Timeline
- 1.1.x era: The project maintained a stable branch but later advised new applications to use libnl3.
- 3.2.10: The project reverted an unnecessary SONAME bump after discussion to reduce distribution-maintainer pain.
- 3.2.18-3.2.19: The project documented an incorrect SONAME that required affected binaries to be relinked for compatibility with 3.2.20 and later.
- 2014-07-16: The Infradead project page records libnl 3.2.25 as released.
Related projects
- Related kernel interfaces include netlink, NETLINK_ROUTE, generic netlink, and netfilter.
- The libnl suite's related libraries include libnl, libnl-route, libnl-genl, and libnl-nf.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
genl-ctrl-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
idiag-socket-details | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-ct-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-ct-events | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-ct-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-exp-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-exp-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-exp-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-log | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-monitor | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nf-queue | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-addr-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-addr-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-addr-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-class-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-class-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-class-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-classid-lookup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-cls-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-cls-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-cls-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-fib-lookup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-enslave | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-ifindex2name | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-name2ifindex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-release | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-set | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-link-stats | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-list-caches | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-list-sockets | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-monitor | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-neigh-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-neigh-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-neigh-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-neightbl-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-nh-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-pktloc-lookup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-qdisc-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-qdisc-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-qdisc-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-route-add | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-route-delete | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-route-get | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-route-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-rule-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-tctree-list | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nl-util-addr | 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 version3.12.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libnl |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.12.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/thom311/libnl |
| Repository | https://github.com/thom311/libnl |
| 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.
Nix95%
libnl
nix profile install nixpkgs#libnl- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libnl
pacman95%
libnl 3.12.0-1
Library for applications dealing with netlink sockets
https://github.com/thom311/libnl/
sudo pacman -S libnl- License: LGPL-2.1-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- 7 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libnl
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
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation