dropbear ☆
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Description:
Small SSH server/client for POSIX-based system
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 2025.89@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Networking
Tags: ssh security networking remote-access embedded server
Install: brew install dropbear
About:
Dropbear is a lightweight SSH server and client designed for embedded systems and resource-constrained environments. It provides secure remote shell access and file transfer capabilities using a subset of the SSHv2 protocol. Its small footprint and minimal dependencies make it an ideal alternative to OpenSSH for embedded Linux and POSIX-based systems.
Key Features:
  • Extremely lightweight and small memory footprint
  • Supports SSH2 protocol with key authentication
  • Includes scp, ssh, and sshd functionality
  • No external dependencies beyond standard C library
  • Cross-platform POSIX compatibility
Use Cases:
  • Embedded Linux systems with limited resources
  • Routers and network appliances requiring remote management
  • IoT devices needing secure shell access
  • Rescue and recovery environments
Alternatives:
  • OpenSSH – Full-featured SSH implementation with more features but significantly larger footprint
  • TinySSH – Even smaller SSH server focused on minimalism, but with fewer features than Dropbear
License: MIT
Dependencies: linux-pam
Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, sonoma, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Dec 16, 2025 4:16pm 0 VERSION_BUMP ba6c1921
Dec 16, 2025 4:01pm 0 VERSION_BUMP c1b5bac3
Oct 22, 2024 3:31pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 9f10e20a
Sep 12, 2024 8:02am 0 VERSION_BUMP 1c3b5acb
Apr 4, 2024 10:55am 0 VERSION_BUMP 315b7e99
Dec 31, 2022 8:04am 0 VERSION_BUMP 14fe99d6
Nov 21, 2022 2:53am 0 VERSION_BUMP 507730d8
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