# 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

```sh
sudo av install brew:ntbtls
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install ntbtls
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#ntbtls
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nt/ntbtls/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:ntbtls
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.3.2
- **Source summary:** Not Too Bad TLS Library
- **Homepage:** <https://gnupg.org/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:05:38-07:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- ntbtls-config (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.3.2
## 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

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ntbtls>
- <https://github.com/gpg/ntbtls>
- <https://gnupg.org/ftp/gcrypt/ntbtls/>
- <https://wiki.gnupg.org/NTBTLS>
- <https://www.gnupg.org/software/libraries.html>
- <https://www.gnupg.org/software/ntbtls/index.html>


## Security Notes

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.


## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - ntbtls: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nt/ntbtls/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ntbtls.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/ntbtls.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph