install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install boringtun

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#boringtun

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bo/boringtun/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Userspace WireGuard implementation in Rust

Project links

Commands and aliases

boringtun-cli

history

Project history and usage

BoringTun is Cloudflare's Rust userspace implementation of the WireGuard protocol, distributed as both a library and the boringtun-cli command-line tool.

Project history

Cloudflare announced BoringTun publicly on March 27, 2019 after evaluating existing WireGuard implementations and choosing Rust for a portable, memory-safe, high-performance userspace implementation. The repository itself was created in October 2018, matching the blog's account that the project had been under development before the source release.

The README describes two deliverables: boringtun-cli for Linux and macOS userspace tunnels, and the boringtun library for client applications that supply their own platform-specific tunnel and network stacks.

Adoption history

BoringTun's adoption story is unusually concrete for a low-level networking library: Cloudflare's README says it is deployed on millions of iOS and Android consumer devices and thousands of Cloudflare Linux servers.

Cloudflare's WARP posts tie BoringTun to the 1.1.1.1/WARP client stack, making it part of a large production VPN deployment rather than only a reference implementation.

How it is used

As a CLI, boringtun-cli starts a userspace WireGuard tunnel for an interface and can be used with wg and wg-quick through WG_QUICK_USERSPACE_IMPLEMENTATION. As a library, it exposes the WireGuard protocol machinery for clients that implement their own transport and tunnel integration.

Because it is userspace and permissively licensed, BoringTun is useful where the Linux kernel WireGuard module is unavailable or where client apps need portable WireGuard behavior across mobile and desktop platforms.

Why package nerds care

BoringTun matters to package nerds because it is a Rust networking primitive with a real production pedigree, a split library/CLI shape, and a clear relationship to the broader WireGuard ecosystem.

It also illustrates the packaging distinction between protocol implementation, command-line frontend, and OS integration: installing boringtun-cli gives a binary, but useful operation still depends on TUN devices, WireGuard tooling, and platform networking permissions.

Timeline

2018-10: Official GitHub repository metadata shows the repository created.
2019-03: Cloudflare announced and open sourced BoringTun.
2021: Cloudflare described WARP for Linux using BoringTun as its WireGuard implementation.
2022: GitHub release metadata shows v0.4.0 in the public release feed.
2026: Repository metadata shows continued activity.

Related projects

WireGuard is the VPN protocol BoringTun implements.
wireguard-go is the userspace implementation Cloudflare compared against when explaining why BoringTun was created.
Cloudflare WARP is the large-scale client product that uses BoringTun.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

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
`boringtun-cli`	cli	global executable

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 generated2026-07-08

manager version0.7.1

manager updated2026-05-02

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedboringtun-0.7.1

https://github.com/cloudflare/boringtun

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:boringtun
Version	0.7.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/boringtun
Homepage	https://github.com/cloudflare/boringtun
Repository	https://github.com/cloudflare/boringtun
Upstream docs	https://github.com/cloudflare/boringtun#readme
License	BSD-3-Clause
Source archive	https://github.com/cloudflare/boringtun/archive/refs/tags/boringtun-0.7.1.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-02T04:20:23Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	rust
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	boringtun-cli requires root privileges so you will need to run `sudo boringtun-cli utun`. You should be certain that you trust any software you grant root privileges.

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	boringtun
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

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%

boringtun

nix profile install nixpkgs#boringtun

normalized package name match
Matched by: Boringtun

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

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/boringtun.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install boringtun with Homebrew, Nix