brew

Install dropbear with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman

Small SSH server/client for POSIX-based system. Version 2026.94 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-23. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install dropbear.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install dropbear

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dropbear · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install dropbear

Debian stable package indexes · dropbear · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install dropbear

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dropbear · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#dropbear

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S dropbear

Arch Linux sync databases · dropbear · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

overview

Package summary

Small SSH server/client for POSIX-based system

Project links

Commands and aliases

dbclient
dropbear
dropbearconvert
dropbearkey

history

Project history and usage

Dropbear is a compact SSH server and client suite for POSIX systems, best known in package-manager culture as the SSH implementation people reach for when OpenSSH is too large or too operationally heavy. It provides `dropbear` for the server, `dbclient` for the client, and key/conversion utilities in a deliberately small package.

Project history

Dropbear development started in October 2002, with the first public release, 0.28, appearing on April 6, 2003. The early changelog shows the project quickly adding practical SSH server features such as syslog support, X11 forwarding, agent forwarding, local TCP forwarding, OpenSSH key conversion, and Debian packaging support during 2003.

The project has remained active for decades rather than becoming a frozen embedded artifact. Its current changelog includes 2026 releases with security fixes, scp hardening, algorithm-query support, forwarding improvements, and behavior changes made in response to modern SSH and libc realities.

Adoption history

Dropbear was adopted heavily by embedded Linux distributions, rescue environments, routers, initramfs setups, and minimal systems because it can provide SSH access with a much smaller footprint than a full OpenSSH deployment. Its package availability across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, and Nix reflects that cross-platform utility.

How it is used

Typical package usage includes running `dropbear` as a lightweight SSH daemon, using `dbclient` as a small SSH client, generating host keys with `dropbearkey`, and converting keys with `dropbearconvert`. The documented host-key paths and OpenSSH-compatible authorized_keys behavior make it especially useful where users need interoperable SSH without installing the full OpenSSH stack.

Why package nerds care

Dropbear is package-nerd significant because it embodies the classic small-tools tradeoff: enough SSH compatibility for real deployments, intentionally less bulk than OpenSSH, and build-time options for constrained systems. It is also one of the few packages whose value is obvious both to embedded firmware builders and to people maintaining recovery shells on ordinary Unix systems.

Timeline

2002: Development starts in October.
2003: Dropbear 0.28 is released as the initial public release.
2003: `dropbearconvert`, Debian packaging support, X11 forwarding, agent forwarding, and early TCP forwarding appear in subsequent 0.3x releases.
2026: Releases 2026.90 and 2026.91 include security, scp, forwarding, and compatibility fixes.

Related projects

OpenSSH is the main compatibility reference and the larger alternative implementation.
LibTomCrypt and LibTomMath were part of Dropbear's early cryptographic/math dependency story.
BusyBox-style and embedded Linux systems are common deployment neighbors because they share the same small-footprint design pressure.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for dropbear. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.ssh/authorized_keys~/.ssh/id_dropbear/etc/dropbear/dropbear_rsa_host_key/etc/dropbear/dropbear_dss_host_key/etc/dropbear/dropbear_ecdsa_host_key/etc/dropbear/dropbear_ed25519_host_key

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`dbclient`	cli	global executable
`dropbear`	cli	global executable
`dropbearconvert`	cli	global executable
`dropbearkey`	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 generated2026-07-25

manager version2026.94

manager updated2026-07-23

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.htmlnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:dropbear
Version	2026.94
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dropbear
Homepage	https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html
Repository	https://github.com/mkj/dropbear
Upstream docs	https://github.com/mkj/dropbear#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/releases/dropbear-2026.94.tar.bz2
Last updated	2026-07-23T16:36:51Z
Pulse	updated
Uses from macOS	libxcrypt
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	dropbear
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.

Debian apt95%

dropbear 2025.89-1~deb13u1

lightweight SSH2 server and client - startup scripts

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear

Section: net
Architecture: all
1 dependencies
3 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: dropbear from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

dropbear-bin 2025.89-1~deb13u1

lightweight SSH2 server and client - command line tools

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear-bin

Section: net
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: dropbear
5 dependencies
1 provides
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: dropbear-bin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

dropbear-initramfs 2025.89-1~deb13u1

lightweight SSH2 server and client - initramfs integration

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear-initramfs

Section: net
Architecture: all
Source Package: dropbear
5 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: dropbear-initramfs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

dropbear

nix profile install nixpkgs#dropbear

normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

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

Ubuntu apt95%

dropbear 2022.83-4

lightweight SSH2 server and client - startup scripts

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear

Section: universe/net
Architecture: all
3 dependencies
2 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: dropbear from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

dropbear-bin 2022.83-4

lightweight SSH2 server and client - command line tools

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear-bin

Section: universe/net
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: dropbear
5 dependencies
1 provides
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: dropbear-bin from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

dropbear-initramfs 2022.83-4

lightweight SSH2 server and client - initramfs integration

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apt install dropbear-initramfs

Section: universe/net
Architecture: all
Source Package: dropbear
5 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: dropbear-initramfs from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

apk95%

dropbear 2026.91-r0

small SSH 2 client/server designed for small memory environments

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-convert 2026.91-r0

dropbear dropbearconvert command

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-convert

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-convert from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-dbclient 2026.91-r0

dropbear dbclient command

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-dbclient

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-dbclient from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-doc 2026.91-r0

small SSH 2 client/server designed for small memory environments (documentation)

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-doc

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-nftrules 2026.91-r0

small SSH 2 client/server designed for small memory environments (nftables ruleset)

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-nftrules

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-nftrules from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-openrc 2026.91-r0

small SSH 2 client/server designed for small memory environments (OpenRC init scripts)

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-openrc

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-openrc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-scp 2026.91-r0

dropbear scp support

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-scp

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-scp from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dropbear-ssh 2026.91-r0

dropbear ssh command (compatibility symlink for dbclient)

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo apk add dropbear-ssh

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dropbear-ssh from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

dnf95%

dropbear 2026.91-1.fc45

Lightweight SSH server and client

https://matt.ucc.asn.au/dropbear/dropbear.html

sudo dnf install dropbear

License: MIT
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dropbear
9 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dropbear

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: dropbear from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

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/dropbear.yml

Used sources

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

Install dropbear with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

No protected-tool coverage found yet

Install behavior

Recommended review

Configuration and credential file locations

Credential files

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources