Install libpaho-mqtt with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• MQTTVersion

Project history

Paho grew out of IBM and Eurotech making MQTT client code available through Eclipse during the early 2010s. The Eclipse Paho project page describes it as an Eclipse IoT project for open-source implementations of MQTT and MQTT-SN in multiple programming languages.

The C client inherited a longer MQTT C lineage from IBM work around small devices and the Really Small Message Broker era. By placing that lineage under Eclipse governance, Paho made MQTT client libraries easier for vendors, distributions, and device developers to consume under a neutral open-source project.

Adoption history

Paho's adoption followed MQTT's standardization and IoT growth. MQTT 3.1.1 became an OASIS Standard in October 2014 and ISO/IEC 20922 in 2016, while MQTT 5.0 was approved by OASIS in March 2019. Paho C tracks those protocol versions with MQTT 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0 support.

How it is used

Developers use the C library to connect to an MQTT broker, publish messages, subscribe to topics, and receive messages. The project documents two C APIs: MQTTClient for simpler blocking/synchronous use and MQTTAsync for callback-oriented nonblocking applications.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, libpaho-mqtt is the canonical C client for a standardized IoT protocol. It is small enough to be a library dependency, but broad enough to support TLS, persistence, WebSockets, reconnect behavior, and both blocking and nonblocking application styles.

Timeline

• 2011: IBM and Eurotech announced donation of MQTT C and Java client implementations to the proposed Eclipse Paho project.
• 2014: MQTT 3.1.1 was approved as an OASIS Standard.
• 2016: MQTT 3.1.1 was approved as ISO/IEC 20922.
• 2019: MQTT 5.0 was approved as an OASIS Standard, and Paho C documents MQTT 5.0 support.

Related projects

• Eclipse Paho includes MQTT client implementations for multiple languages beyond C.
• Paho MQTT C++ layers a C++ API over the C library.
• MQTT brokers such as Mosquitto, EMQX, HiveMQ, and broker services are natural interoperability targets for Paho C clients.

Sources

• https://andypiper.co.uk/2011/11/04/mqtt-goes-free-a-personal-qa/
• https://eclipse.dev/paho/
• https://eclipse.dev/paho/clients/c/
• https://github.com/eclipse-paho/paho.mqtt.c
• https://www.eclipse.org/community/eclipse_newsletter/2015/october/article3.php
• https://www.oasis-open.org/2016/07/19/oasis-mqtt-internet-of-things-standard-now-approved-by-iso-iec-jtc1/
• https://www.oasis-open.org/standard/mqtt-v5-0-os/
• https://www.oasis-open.org/standard/mqttv3-1-1/