Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install swaks with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

SMTP command-line test tool. Version 20240103.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install swaks

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install swaks

MacPorts ports tree · perl/swaks/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add swaks

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · swaks · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install swaks

Debian stable package indexes · swaks · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install swaks

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#swaks

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S swaks

Arch Linux sync databases · swaks · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install swaks

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · swaks · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

SMTP command-line test tool

Commands and aliases

  • swaks

history

Project history and usage

Swaks, the Swiss Army Knife for SMTP, is a scriptable command-line SMTP transaction tester. It is used by mail operators, developers, and automation scripts to exercise SMTP, ESMTP, LMTP, TLS, authentication, and message-delivery edge cases.

Project history

The official project page describes Swaks as a featureful, flexible, scriptable, transaction-oriented SMTP test tool written and maintained by John Jetmore. The official versions page lists releases back to 2003, and the GitHub mirror/repository metadata shows the current source repository at jetmore/swaks.

Adoption history

Swaks has broad package-manager coverage because SMTP testing is useful on servers, workstations, CI systems, and mail infrastructure. The input package facts list packages across apk, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/dnf, MacPorts, Nix, Arch/pacman, Ubuntu, and zypper.

How it is used

The reference documentation emphasizes transactions: choose a recipient and server, test authentication, attach EICAR or GTUBE payloads for mail-filter checks, use LMTP over a Unix socket, or script recipient verification loops. Options can come from a config file, environment variables, or command-line flags, with later sources overriding earlier ones.

Why package nerds care

Swaks is beloved in package-manager culture because it is a single-purpose diagnostic executable with deep protocol knobs and minimal ceremony. It is the sort of tool administrators expect to install quickly during incident response, image building, or integration testing, which explains its presence in many Unix package sets.

Timeline

  • 2003: Earliest official release listed on the Swaks versions page.
  • 2017: GitHub repository created.
  • 2020: v20201014.0 and v20201024.0 releases appear in the official versions history.
  • 2024: v20240103.0 released as the latest version listed on the official project page during research.

Related projects

  • Swaks is related to SMTP, ESMTP, LMTP, TLS, authentication mechanisms, mail filters, and test payload conventions such as EICAR and GTUBE, all of which appear in its official examples and feature list.

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 1 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.

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
$SWAKS_HOME/.swaksrc~/.swaksrc$LOGDIR/.swaksrc

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
swakscliglobal 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 version20240103.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:swaks
Version20240103.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/swaks
Homepagehttps://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/jetmore/swaks
Upstream docshttps://github.com/jetmore/swaks/blob/v20240103.0/doc/base.pod
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/files/swaks-20240103.0.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameswaks
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%

swaks 20240103.0-2

SMTP command-line test tool

https://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo apt install swaks
  • Section: mail
  • Architecture: all
  • 1 dependencies
  • 6 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: swaks from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

swaks

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

swaks 20240103.0-1

SMTP command-line test tool

https://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo apt install swaks
  • Section: universe/mail
  • Architecture: all
  • 1 dependencies
  • 6 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: swaks from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

swaks 20240103.0-r0

Swiss Army Knife for SMTP

https://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo apk add swaks
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: swaks
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: swaks from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

swaks-doc 20240103.0-r0

Swiss Army Knife for SMTP (documentation)

https://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo apk add swaks-doc
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: swaks
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: swaks-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

swaks 20240103.0-5.fc44

Command-line SMTP transaction tester

http://www.jetmore.org/john/code/swaks

sudo dnf install swaks
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: swaks
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: swaks from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

swaks 20240103.0-3

Swiss Army Knife SMTP; Command line SMTP testing, including TLS and AUTH

https://jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo pacman -S swaks
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: any
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: swaks from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

swaks 20240103.0-2.4

Swiss Army Knife for SMTP

https://jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/

sudo zypper install swaks
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Category: Productivity/Networking/Email/Clients
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: swaks
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: swaks from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

swaks

sudo port install swaks
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Swaks
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: perl/swaks/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.

Same workflow

  • sendemailShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking, perl, smtp.
  • msmtpShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking, smtp.
  • checkdmarcShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking.
  • fetchmailShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking.
  • getmail6Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking.
  • harakaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking, smtp.

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 configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment