# Install ntbtls with Homebrew, Nix Not Too Bad TLS Library. Version 0.3.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ntbtls ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ntbtls ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ntbtls ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nt/ntbtls/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ntbtls - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.3.2 - **Source summary:** Not Too Bad TLS Library - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:05:38-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - ntbtls-config (cli) - ntbtls-config (alias) ## Dependencies - libgcrypt - libgpg-error - libksba ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.3.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://gnupg.org/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage ntbTLS, the Not Too Bad TLS Library, is a small GnuPG-family TLS 1.2 client library intended to pair with Libgcrypt and LibKSBA. It deliberately leaves certificate verification to callers such as GnuPG's `dirmngr`. ### Project history The GnuPG wiki says ntbTLS started in 2014 as Werner Koch's stripped-down fork of PolarSSL, later known as mbedTLS, using Libgcrypt and existing GnuPG modules for X.509 handling. The official page says the code replaced PolarSSL crypto with Libgcrypt, removed older SSL/TLS protocol support, and has been used by the GnuPG version of Gpg4win since 2017. ### Adoption history ntbTLS is narrow infrastructure rather than a general TLS competitor. The GnuPG libraries page lists it under other GnuPG-related libraries, while the project page frames it as a good fit where GnuPG already has certificate verification and wants to avoid pulling in another TLS library's crypto stack. The release directory shows public tarballs from 0.1.0 on February 21, 2017 through 0.3.2 on January 12, 2024. On July 1, 2026, Homebrew listed ntbTLS 0.3.2 with 62 installs in its 365-day analytics window, which matches its specialized role. ### How it is used Package users usually encounter `ntbtls-config` and the library as build-time plumbing for GnuPG-adjacent software. It is not a drop-in OpenSSL replacement: the README says the server part and TLS 1.3 are not implemented in version 0.3, and callers must do certificate verification themselves. ### Why package nerds care ntbTLS matters because it shows the GnuPG project's preference for minimizing independent crypto implementations inside the stack. For packagers, the important details are its Libgcrypt/LibKSBA dependencies, GPL licensing, and intentionally limited protocol surface. ### Timeline - 2014: ntbTLS began as a stripped-down PolarSSL fork. - February 21, 2017: the GnuPG file area published ntbtls-0.1.0. - 2017: Gpg4win's GnuPG build began using ntbTLS. - January 12, 2024: ntbtls-0.3.2 tarball date in the GnuPG file area. - July 1, 2026: Homebrew listed stable version 0.3.2. ### Related projects - Libgcrypt supplies cryptographic primitives. - LibKSBA supplies X.509 and CMS handling. - PolarSSL/mbedTLS is the historical source base for the TLS protocol code. - GnuPG and Gpg4win are the main practical ecosystem. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for ntbtls. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** ntbtls - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - ntbtls: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nt/ntbtls/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Security and crypto packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/security-crypto-tools/) - Matched security, identity, cryptography, password, signing, or certificate metadata. - [libgcrypt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgcrypt/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libgpg-error](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgpg-error/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libksba](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libksba/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gnupg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnupg/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [gpgme](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gpgme/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: config, error, libgpg, libgpg-error. - [gpa](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gpa/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: error, libgpg, libgpg-error. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ntbtls.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/ntbtls.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph