macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ntbtlslocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 10776
Install ntbtls with Homebrew, Nix
Not Too Bad TLS Library. Version 0.3.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#ntbtls.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ntbtlsnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/nt/ntbtls/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Not Too Bad TLS Library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ntbtls-config
history
Project history and usage
ntbTLS, the Not Too Bad TLS Library, is a small GnuPG-family TLS 1.2 client library intended to pair with Libgcrypt and LibKSBA. It deliberately leaves certificate verification to callers such as GnuPG's `dirmngr`.
Project history
The GnuPG wiki says ntbTLS started in 2014 as Werner Koch's stripped-down fork of PolarSSL, later known as mbedTLS, using Libgcrypt and existing GnuPG modules for X.509 handling. The official page says the code replaced PolarSSL crypto with Libgcrypt, removed older SSL/TLS protocol support, and has been used by the GnuPG version of Gpg4win since 2017.
Adoption history
ntbTLS is narrow infrastructure rather than a general TLS competitor. The GnuPG libraries page lists it under other GnuPG-related libraries, while the project page frames it as a good fit where GnuPG already has certificate verification and wants to avoid pulling in another TLS library's crypto stack.
The release directory shows public tarballs from 0.1.0 on February 21, 2017 through 0.3.2 on January 12, 2024. On July 1, 2026, Homebrew listed ntbTLS 0.3.2 with 62 installs in its 365-day analytics window, which matches its specialized role.
How it is used
Package users usually encounter `ntbtls-config` and the library as build-time plumbing for GnuPG-adjacent software. It is not a drop-in OpenSSL replacement: the README says the server part and TLS 1.3 are not implemented in version 0.3, and callers must do certificate verification themselves.
Why package nerds care
ntbTLS matters because it shows the GnuPG project's preference for minimizing independent crypto implementations inside the stack. For packagers, the important details are its Libgcrypt/LibKSBA dependencies, GPL licensing, and intentionally limited protocol surface.
Timeline
- 2014: ntbTLS began as a stripped-down PolarSSL fork.
- February 21, 2017: the GnuPG file area published ntbtls-0.1.0.
- 2017: Gpg4win's GnuPG build began using ntbTLS.
- January 12, 2024: ntbtls-0.3.2 tarball date in the GnuPG file area.
- July 1, 2026: Homebrew listed stable version 0.3.2.
Related projects
- Libgcrypt supplies cryptographic primitives.
- LibKSBA supplies X.509 and CMS handling.
- PolarSSL/mbedTLS is the historical source base for the TLS protocol code.
- GnuPG and Gpg4win are the main practical ecosystem.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for ntbtls. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ntbtls-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 version0.3.2
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ntbtls |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.3.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://gnupg.org/ |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:05:38-07:00 |
| 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.
Nix95%
ntbtls
nix profile install nixpkgs#ntbtls- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ntbtls
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation