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GnuTLS

Developer(s)	Nikos Mavrogiannopoulos, Simon Josefsson
Stable release	3.8.8  / 5 November 2024
Repository	gitlab.com/gnutls/gnutls.git
Written in	C, Assembly
Operating system	Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD
Platform	x86, x86-64, ARM
Type	Cryptography library
License	LGPL-2.1-or-later
Website	www.gnutls.org

GnuTLS (/ˈɡnuː ˌtiː ˌɛl ˈɛs/, the GNU Transport Layer Security Library) is a free software implementation of the TLS, SSL and DTLS protocols. It offers an application programming interface (API) for applications to enable secure communication over the network transport layer, as well as interfaces to access X.509, PKCS #12, OpenPGP and other structures.

Features

GnuTLS consists of a library that allows client applications to start secure sessions using the available protocols. It also provides command-line tools, including an X.509 certificate manager, a test client and server, and random key and password generators.

GnuTLS has the following features:

• TLS 1.3, TLS 1.2, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.0, and SSL 3.0 protocols
• Datagram TLS (DTLS) 1.2, and DTLS 1.0, protocols
• TLS-SRP: Secure remote password protocol (SRP) for TLS authentication
• TLS-PSK: Pre-shared key (PSK) for TLS authentication
• X.509 and OpenPGP certificate handling
• CPU assisted cryptography and cryptographic accelerator support (/dev/crypto), VIA PadLock and AES-NI instruction sets
• Support for smart cards and for hardware security modules
• Storage of cryptographic keys in the system's Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

History

Origin

GnuTLS was initially created around March to November 2000, by Nikos Mavrogiannopoulos to allow applications of the GNU Project to use secure protocols such as TLS. Although OpenSSL already existed, OpenSSL's license is not compatible with the GPL; thus software under the GPL, such as GNU software, could not use OpenSSL without making a GPL linking exception.

License

The GnuTLS library was licensed originally under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2, while included applications to use the GNU General Public License.

In August 2011 the library was updated to the LGPLv3. After it was noticed that there were new license compatibility problems introduced, especially with other free software with the license change, after discussions the license was downgraded again to LGPLv2.1 in March 2013.

Split from GNU

GnuTLS was created for the GNU Project, but in December 2012 its maintainer, Nikos Mavrogiannopoulos, dissociated the project from GNU after policy disputes with the Free Software Foundation. Richard Stallman opposed this move and suggested forking the project instead. Soon afterward, developer Paolo Bonzini ended his maintainership of GNU Sed and Grep, expressing concerns similar to those of GnuTLS maintainer Mavrogiannopoulos.

Deployment

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Software packages using GnuTLS include(d):

• GNOME
• CenterIM
• Exim
• WeeChat
• Mutt
• Wireshark
• slrn
• Lynx
• CUPS
• gnoMint
• GNU Emacs
• Synology DiskStation Manager
• OpenConnect

See also

• Comparison of TLS implementations
• wolfSSL (previously CyaSSL)
• mbed TLS (previously PolarSSL)
• List of free and open-source software packages
• Network Security Services

References

1. https://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnutls-help/2024-November/004865.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. "Debian -- Details of package gnutls-bin in buster". packages.debian.org. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
3. "LICENSE". GitLab. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
4. RFC 6091
5. The GnuTLS Transport Layer Security Library
6. "Initialized repository for GNU TLS (8aef5fff) · Commits · gnutls / GnuTLS · GitLab". GitLab. 2000-03-07. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
7. "gnutls0-0-4 · Tags · gnutls / GnuTLS · GitLab". GitLab. 2000-11-15. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
8. Mark McLoughlin (22 June 2004). "The OpenSSL License and The GPL". Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
9. Version 2.99.4 (released 2011-07-23)[...] ** libgnutls: license upgraded to LGPLv3
10. Mavrogiannopoulos, Nikos (26 March 2013). "The perils of LGPLv3". gnutls.org. Retrieved 18 November 2015. LGPLv3 is the latest version of the GNU Lesser General Public License. It follows the successful LGPLv2.1 license, and was released by Free Software Foundation as a counterpart to its GNU General Public License version 3. The goal of the GNU Lesser General Public Licenses is to provide software that can be used by both proprietary and free software. This goal has been successfully handled so far by LGPLv2.1, and there is a multitude of libraries using that license. Now we have LGPLv3 as the latest, and the question is how successful is LGPLv3 on this goal? In my opinion, very little. If we assume that its primary goal is to be used by free software, then it blatantly fails that.
11. 2013-03-14 Nikos Mavrogiannopoulos (nmav@gnutls.org) * COPYING.LESSER, README: gnutls 3.1.10 is LGPLv2.1
12. ^ GnuTLS, copyright assignment, and GNU project governance on lwn.net by Michael Kerrisk (December 20, 2012)
13. ^ Nikos Mavrogiannopoulos (18 December 2012). "gnutls is moving". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
14. Stallman, Richard (11 December 2012). "GNUTLS is not going anywhere". gnutls-devel (Mailing list). you cannot take GNUTLS out of the GNU Project.
15. Bonzini, Paolo (22 December 2012). "GNU sed 4.2.2 released, and a rant from the maintainer". bug-gnu-utils (Mailing list).
16. ^ "GnuTLS - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)". Free Software Foundation. 22 May 2010. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
17. "OpenConnect VPN client technical details".

External links

• Official website
• GNU Friends - An Interview with GNU TLS developer Nikos Mavroyanopoulos – a 2003 interview
• Fellowship interview with Simon Josefsson – a 2009 interview

• Cryptographic software
• GNU Project software
• Free security software
• Transport Layer Security implementation