macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libcoaplocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install libcoap with Homebrew, apk, dnf, Nix, zypper
Lightweight application-protocol for resource-constrained devices. Version 4.3.5b via Homebrew; verified 2026-04-14.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libcoapAlpine Linux edge package indexes · libcoap · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libcoapFedora Rawhide package metadata · libcoap · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libcoapnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libcoap/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libcoap-developenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libcoap-devel · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Lightweight application-protocol for resource-constrained devices
Project links
Commands and aliases
- coap-client
- coap-client-openssl
- coap-rd
- coap-rd-openssl
- coap-server
- coap-server-openssl
history
Project history and usage
libcoap is a C implementation of the Constrained Application Protocol, the IETF protocol standardized as RFC 7252 for low-power, lossy, and memory-constrained networks. It gives Unix and embedded developers a reusable CoAP parser, networking layer, examples, and client/server tools.
Project history
The repository identifies libcoap as a C implementation of CoAP and carries copyright years beginning in 2010 for Olaf Bergmann and contributors. That places the project in the early CoAP implementation wave before the protocol was published as RFC 7252 in June 2014.
As CoAP grew from a basic REST-like protocol for constrained devices into a family of RFC extensions, libcoap accumulated support for related specifications including group communication, observing resources, block-wise transfers, CoAP over TCP/TLS/WebSockets, OSCORE, hop limit, and echo/request-token processing.
Adoption history
libcoap's adoption follows the embedded and IoT networking ecosystem rather than desktop application culture. Its README names hosted environments including Contiki-NG, Espressif ESP-IDF, LwIP, and RIOT-OS, which explains why package managers ship both library artifacts and tools such as `coap-client`, `coap-server`, and `coap-rd`.
How it is used
Developers use libcoap to build CoAP clients, servers, resource directories, and test fixtures. Homebrew exposes separate OpenSSL-suffixed tools in addition to the base client, server, and resource-directory commands, making it useful both as a development library and a packet-level debugging utility.
Why package nerds care
libcoap is package-nerd relevant because it is a small C library sitting at the boundary between standards work and actual device networks. It is the installable thing that turns RFC language about constrained REST into commands a maintainer can run against embedded boards, gateways, and simulators.
Timeline
- 2010: Copyright range in the official repository begins for Olaf Bergmann and contributors.
- 2014-06: RFC 7252 published CoAP as an Internet Standards Track protocol.
- 2020s: Repository documents support for multiple CoAP extension RFCs and embedded environments.
Related projects
- Related projects and standards include RFC 7252 CoAP, Contiki-NG, RIOT-OS, LwIP, Espressif ESP-IDF, OSCORE, and the libcoap-minimal examples referenced by the project.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:client,server
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.
- Build metadata lists 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
coap-client | cli | global executable | |
coap-client-openssl | cli | global executable | |
coap-rd | cli | global executable | |
coap-rd-openssl | cli | global executable | |
coap-server | cli | global executable | |
coap-server-openssl | 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 version4.3.5b
manager updated2026-04-14
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/obgm/libcoap
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/obgm/libcoapnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libcoap |
|---|---|
| Version | 4.3.5b |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libcoap |
| Homepage | https://github.com/obgm/libcoap |
| Repository | https://github.com/obgm/libcoap |
| Upstream docs | https://libcoap.net/doc/reference/4.3.5/man_coap.html |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://github.com/obgm/libcoap/archive/refs/tags/v4.3.5b.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-04-14T15:17:29Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | openssl@3 |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, libtool, pkgconf |
| 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 | libcoap |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| 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.
Nix95%
libcoap
nix profile install nixpkgs#libcoap- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
apk95%
libcoap 4.3.5b-r0
A CoAP (RFC 7252) implementation
sudo apk add libcoap- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
apk95%
libcoap-dev 4.3.5b-r0
A CoAP (RFC 7252) implementation (development files)
sudo apk add libcoap-dev- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
apk95%
libcoap-doc 4.3.5b-r0
A CoAP (RFC 7252) implementation (documentation)
sudo apk add libcoap-doc- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
dnf95%
libcoap 4.3.5b-1.fc45
C library implementation of CoAP
sudo dnf install libcoap- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: libcoap
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
dnf95%
libcoap-devel 4.3.5b-1.fc45
Development package for libcoap
sudo dnf install libcoap-devel- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: libcoap
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
dnf95%
libcoap-doc 4.3.5b-1.fc45
Documentation package for libcoap
sudo dnf install libcoap-doc- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: libcoap
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
dnf95%
libcoap-utils 4.3.5b-1.fc45
Client and server CoAP utilities
sudo dnf install libcoap-utils- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
zypper95%
libcoap-devel 4.3.5b-1.2
Development files for libcoap
sudo zypper install libcoap-devel- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
zypper95%
libcoap-utils 4.3.5b-1.2
Utilities for Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)
sudo zypper install libcoap-utils- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
zypper95%
libcoap3-3 4.3.5b-1.2
C implementation of Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)
sudo zypper install libcoap3-3- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libcoap
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libcoap
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 package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment