libksba ☆

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Description:
X.509 and CMS library

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | @gnupg | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Security

Tags: cryptography security x.509 gnupg library pkix

Install: brew install libksba

About:
Libksba is a C library designed to provide high-level access to X.509 certificates and the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS). It handles the complex parsing and structural interpretation of these formats, allowing developers to integrate PKI features without managing low-level binary data. This library is a core component of the GnuPG ecosystem, ensuring robust and standardized cryptographic operations.

Key Features:

X.509 certificate parsing and validation
CMS (Cryptographic Message Syntax) support
ASN.1 structure handling
C library with a stable API
Integration with the GnuPG project

Use Cases:

Building applications that require digital signature verification
Implementing secure email (S/MIME) functionality
Developing custom Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) tools

Alternatives:

OpenSSL – OpenSSL is a larger, more comprehensive cryptographic toolkit that includes Libksba's functionality but is significantly more complex to use for specific PKI parsing tasks.
GnuTLS – GnuTLS focuses primarily on the TLS protocol, whereas Libksba specializes in the certificate and message syntax formats themselves.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 14, 2025 6:53am		0	VERSION_BUMP	c83280d0