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brew

Install toxcore with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, pacman

C library implementing the Tox peer to peer network protocol. Version 0.2.23 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-04.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install toxcore

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install toxcore

MacPorts ports tree · net/toxcore/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

C library implementing the Tox peer to peer network protocol

Commands and aliases

  • DHT_bootstrap
  • tox-bootstrapd

history

Project history and usage

toxcore is the C implementation of the Tox peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol. The official repository describes Tox as a serverless instant messenger intended to make security and privacy easier for regular users, using libsodium-based encryption and authentication.

Project history

The current official repository is maintained under the TokTok organization and is identified on GitHub as forked from the earlier irungentoo/toxcore repository. That lineage reflects the transition from the early Tox implementation into the current TokTok-maintained C core.

The repository has treated toxcore as a low-level cryptographic networking library rather than an end-user chat client. Its README includes a prominent warning that the library is experimental, has not been independently audited by cryptography specialists, and should be used at the user's risk.

Adoption history

toxcore's adoption is mostly indirect: it is the shared protocol library and bootstrap tooling that downstream Tox clients and bots build on. Homebrew packages the library and its bootstrap executables, while the source facts also show packages in Alpine, Fedora, MacPorts, and Arch/pacman.

GitHub Releases record a 'First Stable API' release at v0.1.0 in December 2016. The later changelog shows an active 0.2.x line focused on hardening, testing, ToxAV fixes, group chat work, network profiling, and preserving public API compatibility across releases.

How it is used

Developers embed toxcore by creating a Tox instance, registering callbacks for events such as friend requests and messages, and repeatedly calling the event-loop function `tox_iterate` at the interval returned by `tox_iteration_interval`.

For package users, the Homebrew-visible executables `DHT_bootstrap` and `tox-bootstrapd` represent toxcore's infrastructure side: maintaining bootstrap nodes and helping peers enter the decentralized Tox network rather than launching a full chat UI.

Why package nerds care

toxcore is significant to package nerds because it is a packaged C protocol library with security-sensitive dependencies, ABI/API concerns, and downstream clients. Packaging it correctly matters for encrypted-messaging clients that rely on shared system libraries instead of vendored snapshots.

The project also illustrates the package-maintainer tension around cryptographic software: widely packaged, useful to privacy-oriented users, but officially documented as experimental and unaudited.

Timeline

  • 2016: GitHub Releases publish v0.1.0 as 'First Stable API'.
  • 2024: v0.2.20 changelog includes security and ToxAV fixes.
  • 2025: v0.2.21 changelog adds DNS-disable support and a network profiler.
  • 2026: v0.2.22 and v0.2.23 changelog entries emphasize hardening, architectural refinement, and security fixes.

Related projects

  • The repository includes toxcore, toxav, and toxencryptsave components, and the README points readers to Tox clients, the Tox wiki, and example bots such as minitox.

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:network

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 4 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 2 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

CommandKindExposureNote
DHT_bootstrapcliglobal executable
tox-bootstrapdcliglobal 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 version0.2.23
manager updated2026-06-04
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:toxcore
Version0.2.23
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/toxcore
Homepagehttps://tox.chat/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore
Upstream docshttps://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore#readme
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore/releases/download/v0.2.23/c-toxcore-v0.2.23.tar.xz
Last updated2026-06-04T01:57:58Z
Pulseupdated
Dependencieslibconfig, libsodium, libvpx, opus
Build dependenciescmake, pkgconf
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

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

apk95%

toxcore 0.2.23-r0

Tox communication project - C core

https://tox.chat/

sudo apk add toxcore
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: toxcore from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

toxcore-bash-completion 0.2.23-r0

Bash completions for toxcore

https://tox.chat/

sudo apk add toxcore-bash-completion
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: toxcore-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

toxcore-dev 0.2.23-r0

Tox communication project - C core (development files)

https://tox.chat/

sudo apk add toxcore-dev
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: toxcore-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

toxcore-libs 0.2.23-r0

Tox communication project - C core (libraries)

https://tox.chat/

sudo apk add toxcore-libs
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: toxcore-libs from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

toxcore 0.2.20-4.fc45

Peer to peer instant messenger

https://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore

sudo dnf install toxcore
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later AND MIT
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • 5 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: toxcore from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

toxcore-devel 0.2.20-4.fc45

Development files for Toxcore

https://github.com/TokTok/c-toxcore

sudo dnf install toxcore-devel
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later AND MIT
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: toxcore
  • 4 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: toxcore-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

toxcore 1:0.2.22-2

Secure, configuration-free, P2P Skype replacement backend

https://tox.chat

sudo pacman -S toxcore
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: toxcore from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

toxcore

sudo port install toxcore
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Toxcore
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: net/toxcore/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

  • cmakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pkgconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • tuntoxPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • mbedtlsShares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, cryptography, security.
  • nettleShares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, cryptography, security.
  • aescryptShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cryptography, security.
  • aespipeShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cryptography, security.
  • ageShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cryptography, security.
  • age-plugin-seShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cryptography, 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