macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install jailkitlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install jailkitMacPorts ports tree · security/jailkit/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install jailkit with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts
Utilities to create limited user accounts in a chroot jail. Version 2.23 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install jailkitDebian stable package indexes · jailkit · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Utilities to create limited user accounts in a chroot jail
Project links
Commands and aliases
- jk_check
- jk_chrootlaunch
- jk_chrootsh
- jk_cp
- jk_init
- jk_jailuser
- jk_list
- jk_lsh
- jk_socketd
- jk_uchroot
- jk_update
history
Project history and usage
Jailkit is a Unix security toolkit for creating and maintaining chroot jails for users, shells, and daemons. It is an older, conservative package whose value is automation around a risky primitive: `chroot`.
Project history
The project page and man page credit Olivier Sessink and carry copyright years beginning in 2003. Jailkit was built to automate repeated chroot setup tasks, including copying binaries and libraries into a jail, limiting commands through a restricted shell, checking jail integrity, and forwarding logs from inside a jail.
The project has stayed intentionally narrow. The homepage emphasizes stable, security-focused behavior: utilities abort when configuration or environment checks are not secure, and syslog messages explain what failed. Maintenance releases in 2019 and 2021 focused on Python 3 compatibility, `jk_update`, `jk_init`, and man-page cleanup rather than broad feature expansion.
Adoption history
The homepage states that Jailkit is used in network security appliances, large enterprise and ISP internet servers, smaller companies, and private deployments for securing CVS, SFTP, shell, and daemon processes. Homebrew API data available during this enrichment recorded 142 installs over 365 days, which matches a specialized system-administration tool with long tail usage.
How it is used
Administrators use Jailkit to initialize a jail, copy only the commands and libraries needed for a task, move users into the jail, restrict allowed commands through `jk_lsh`, and check common jail security mistakes with `jk_check`. The man page stresses that writable system directories, setuid programs, and root privileges inside a jail can defeat the intended isolation.
Why package nerds care
Jailkit matters to package nerds because it packages institutional Unix hardening lore into named commands: `jk_init`, `jk_cp`, `jk_chrootsh`, `jk_lsh`, `jk_jailuser`, `jk_check`, and friends. It is not glamorous, but it turns chroot from a hand-built directory-tree ritual into repeatable system administration.
Timeline
- 2003: Project copyright and man-page history begin under Olivier Sessink.
- 2019: Jailkit 2.21 added full Python 3 compatibility and removed the long-deprecated `jk_addjailuser` utility.
- 2021: Jailkit 2.22 fixed Python 3 compatibility in `jk_update` and improved `jk_init.ini` defaults.
- 2021: Jailkit 2.23 fixed `jk_init` edge cases and cleaned up man-page locations.
- 2026: The project page documented non-exposure to CVE-2026-23268/CVE-2026-23269 because Jailkit exits when required system calls fail or are not permitted.
Related projects
- Jailkit is related to the Unix `chroot(2)` facility, OpenSSH restricted SFTP setups, limited shells, rsync/scp/CVS jail deployments, and OS-level isolation mechanisms. Unlike containers, its focus is small, explicit filesystem jails for accounts and daemons.
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.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
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.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
/etc/jailkit/JAIL/etc/jailkit/
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
jk_check | cli | global executable | |
jk_chrootlaunch | cli | global executable | |
jk_chrootsh | cli | global executable | |
jk_cp | cli | global executable | |
jk_init | cli | global executable | |
jk_jailuser | cli | global executable | |
jk_list | cli | global executable | |
jk_lsh | cli | global executable | |
jk_socketd | cli | global executable | |
jk_uchroot | cli | global executable | |
jk_update | 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 version2.23
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:jailkit |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.23 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jailkit |
| Homepage | https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/ |
| Repository | https://cvs.savannah.nongnu.org/viewvc/jailkit |
| Upstream docs | https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit |
| License | BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/jailkit-2.23.tar.bz2 |
| Dependencies | python@3.14 |
| 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 | jailkit |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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%
jailkit 2.23-2+b1
tools to generate chroot jails easily
https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/
sudo apt install jailkit- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: jailkit
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jailkit
Ubuntu apt95%
jailkit 2.23-2
tools to generate chroot jails easily
https://olivier.sessink.nl/jailkit/
sudo apt install jailkit- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jailkit
MacPorts95%
jailkit
sudo port install jailkit- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jailkit
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
- 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