Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install libyubikey with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

C library for manipulating Yubico one-time passwords. Version 1.13 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libyubikey

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libyubikey

MacPorts ports tree · security/libyubikey/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libyubikey-dev

Debian stable package indexes · libyubikey-dev · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libyubikey

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libyubikey

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S yubico-c

Arch Linux sync databases · yubico-c · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libyubikey-devel

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libyubikey-devel · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

C library for manipulating Yubico one-time passwords

Commands and aliases

  • modhex
  • ykgenerate
  • ykparse

history

Project history and usage

libyubikey is the C library inside Yubico yubico-c for low-level YubiKey one-time-password work: modhex conversion, OTP parsing, and OTP generation around the original Yubico authentication model.

Project history

Yubico was founded in Stockholm in 2007 and launched YubiKey 1.0 in 2008 as a driverless one-touch OTP authenticator that identifies as a keyboard. yubico-c followed as the low-level C software development kit for the YubiKey authentication device.

The yubico-c repository describes the command-line tools that expose the library concepts: modhex converts between modhex, hex, and binary forms; ykparse decrypts and parses one OTP with the corresponding AES key; ykgenerate constructs and encrypts one OTP from key and internal token data.

Adoption history

libyubikey belongs to the pre-FIDO YubiKey software stack, when OTP validation and provisioning were central to deploying hardware authentication. As Yubico and Google moved U2F into the FIDO Alliance in 2013 and browsers and services adopted FIDO U2F from 2014 onward, libyubikey remained relevant for legacy OTP integrations and tooling rather than newer WebAuthn flows.

Yubico announced end-of-life for yubico-c on February 19, 2025, with end-of-life scheduled for February 19, 2026. That makes the package historically important as part of the original YubiKey OTP era, even where newer Yubico libraries cover PIV, FIDO, OATH, or platform-specific use cases.

How it is used

Packagers expose libyubikey as a small C library plus tools for modhex and YubiKey OTP token work. It is most useful for test vectors, provisioning scripts, compatibility tooling, and software that needs to parse or generate Yubico OTP values without pulling in higher-level device-management stacks.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, libyubikey is a tiny security package with a lot of context packed into it: custom alphabets, AES-backed OTP fields, hardware-token history, man pages, Autotools, and a clear line from early two-factor authentication to later FIDO/WebAuthn ecosystems.

Timeline

  • 2007: Yubico was founded in Stockholm and developed a YubiKey 1.0 prototype.
  • 2008: YubiKey 1.0 was launched.
  • 2010: Yubico added OATH one-time-password support to the YubiKey product line.
  • 2013: Yubico and Google contributed U2F technical specifications to the FIDO Alliance.
  • 2025-02-19: Yubico announced end-of-life for yubico-c.
  • 2026-02-19: Yubico scheduled yubico-c to reach end-of-life.

Related projects

  • yubico-c is the upstream source package for libyubikey. Related Yubico projects include higher-level YubiKey management and protocol libraries, while U2F, FIDO2, and WebAuthn represent the standards track that superseded many OTP-first deployments.

security posture

Risk level: green

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • library-like package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:library-like

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 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.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
modhexcliglobal executable
ykgeneratecliglobal executable
ykparsecliglobal 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 version1.13
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://yubico.github.io/yubico-c/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://yubico.github.io/yubico-c/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:libyubikey
Version1.13
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libyubikey
Homepagehttps://yubico.github.io/yubico-c/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/Yubico/yubico-c
Upstream docshttps://yubico.github.io/yubico-c
LicenseBSD-2-Clause
Source archivehttps://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/Releases/libyubikey-1.13.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namelibyubikey
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • 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%

libyubikey-dev 1.13-6

Yubikey OTP library development files

https://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/

sudo apt install libyubikey-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libyubikey-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libyubikey0 1.13-6

Yubikey OTP handling library runtime

https://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/

sudo apt install libyubikey0
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libyubikey0 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

libyubikey

nix profile install nixpkgs#libyubikey
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libyubikey/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

libyubikey-dev 1.13-6

Yubikey OTP library development files

https://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/

sudo apt install libyubikey-dev
  • Section: universe/libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libyubikey-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libyubikey0 1.13-6

Yubikey OTP handling library runtime

https://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/

sudo apt install libyubikey0
  • Section: universe/libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libyubikey0 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
dnf95%

libyubikey 1.13-27.fc44

C library for decrypting and parsing Yubikey One-time passwords

http://opensource.yubico.com/yubico-c

sudo dnf install libyubikey
  • License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libyubikey from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

libyubikey-devel 1.13-27.fc44

Development files for libyubikey

http://opensource.yubico.com/yubico-c

sudo dnf install libyubikey-devel
  • License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libyubikey-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

yubico-c 1.13-8

Yubico YubiKey C library

https://github.com/Yubico/yubico-c

sudo pacman -S yubico-c
  • License: BSD
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: yubico-c from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

libyubikey-devel 1.13-3.29

Yubico's USB key low-level C library

https://developers.yubico.com/

sudo zypper install libyubikey-devel
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libyubikey-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

libyubikey-tools 1.13-3.29

Tools to support Yubico's USB key low-level C library

https://developers.yubico.com/

sudo zypper install libyubikey-tools
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libyubikey-tools from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

libyubikey0 1.13-3.29

Yubico's USB key low-level C library

https://developers.yubico.com/

sudo zypper install libyubikey0
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Category: Productivity/Networking/Security
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libyubikey
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libyubikey0 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

libyubikey

sudo port install libyubikey
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libyubikey
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: security/libyubikey/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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.

Related tools

  • ykpersPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • cyrus-saslShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, library, security.
  • libu2f-serverShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, security, yubico.
  • oath-toolkitShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, otp, security.
  • totp-cliShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, otp, security.
  • google-authenticator-libpamShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, security.
  • heimdalShares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, security.

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.

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