wolfSSLSecurity & privacy
wolfssl
A lightweight, cross-platform ANSI C TLS/SSL cryptographic library designed for embedded, real-time operating systems, and resource-constrained environments with TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3 support.
- Backend
- Security
- Library/framework
- Linux
- Windows
- macOS
- Self-hostable
- Runs locally
- Popularity
- 2.9k Stars
- GitHub stars
- Recent activity
- 8/21/2026
- Updated in the last 30 days
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Strong copyleft
Why it matters
We look beyond stars: what problem it solves, whether it creates real utility, and what makes its approach worth noticing.
Problem
Provides a compact, portable TLS/solving implementation for embedded and resource-constrained devices, directly addressing secure communication challenges in IoT systems.
Practical value
Supports modern TLS/DTLS 1.3 and multiple FIPS validations, offering an OpenSSL compatibility layer and hardware acceleration callbacks for high engineering utility in embedded environments.
Innovation / differentiation
Demonstrates differentiated innovation in cryptographic implementation and compliance tracking through hardware entropy key derivation (SRAM PUF), hardware isolation via CryptoCB, and modern supply chain tools.
Leverage potential
Serves as a drop-in OpenSSL alternative for memory-constrained scenarios and provides automated script generation for SBOMs and security advisories, offering strong leverage for integration and compliance.
Why now
With regulatory frameworks like the EU Cyber Resilience Act imposing strict demands on software supply chain transparency, the native support for SBOM and VEX aligns well with current compliance needs.
Community activity
In the last 90 days there were 80 new issues and 635 pull requests; the bounded issue/PR samples include 21 issue authors and 30 PR contributors, with 1 releases.
Maintainer responsiveness
The 80-issue window sample had a 55% close rate, and the 100-pull-request sample had a 82% merge rate. Maintainer-response observations covered 40% of that issue sample, with a 0% response rate and median first response of not enough data.
Key highlights
- Supports up to TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3 protocol standards
- Provides FIPS-validated cryptography through wolfCrypt
- Supports generating Software Bill of Materials in SPDX and CycloneDX formats
Quick start
How it is installed, how hard it is, and where to start.
Where it runs
Runs locally
Difficulty
Medium — some setup needed
- 01Obtain the source code or include it as a submodule in your embedded or desktop project.
- 02Configure user_settings.h based on your target platform requirements or run build scripts to compile.
Best for
- Teams that want data on their own servers
- Developers who want to try it on their machine
More about it
wolfSSL (formerly CyaSSL) is a lightweight SSL/TLS library written in ANSI C, tailored for embedded systems, RTOS, and other resource-constrained environments. It features a compact memory footprint and cross-platform support, implementing industry standards up to TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3.
Powered by the wolfCrypt cryptography library, wolfSSL supports modern progressive ciphers such as ChaCha20, Curve25519, and post-quantum cryptography groups. It also includes an OpenSSL compatibility layer, facilitating the porting of existing applications previously built on OpenSSL.
Sources
Each field shows its status and source — expand to review.
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Sources
Each field shows its status and source — expand to review.
capability tags
Verifiedsecurity
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
editor note
Verified{"en":"wolfSSL targets resource-constrained embedded devices and applications seeking a lightweight OpenSSL alternative. It includes an OpenSSL compatibility layer to ease migration and offers FIPS validation.","zh":"wolfSSL 适用于资源受限的嵌入式设备及需要替代 OpenSSL 的轻量场景。项目自带 OpenSSL 兼容层，便于现有应用迁移，同时支持 FIPS 验证。"}
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
how to use
Verified{"steps":[{"en":"Obtain the source code or include it as a submodule in your embedded or desktop project.","zh":"获取项目源码或通过子模块引入到您的嵌入式/桌面工程中。"},{"en":"Configure user_settings.h based on your target platform requirements or run build scripts to compile.","zh":"根据目标平台需求配置 user_settings.h 或运行构建脚本完成编译。"}],"installAt":"local","difficulty":"medium"}
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
intro
Verified{"en":"wolfSSL (formerly CyaSSL) is a lightweight SSL/TLS library written in ANSI C, tailored for embedded systems, RTOS, and other resource-constrained environments. It features a compact memory footprint and cross-platform support, implementing industry standards up to TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3.\n\nPowered by the wolfCrypt cryptography library, wolfSSL supports modern progressive ciphers such as ChaCha20, Curve25519, and post-quantum cryptography groups. It also includes an OpenSSL compatibility layer, facilitating the porting of existing applications previously built on OpenSSL.","zh":"wolfSSL（原名 CyaSSL）是一个采用 ANSI C 编写的轻量级 SSL/TLS 库，主要面向嵌入式系统、RTOS 以及其他资源受限的环境。它具备较小的内存占用和跨平台支持，同时实现了从早期协议到现代 TLS 1.3 和 DTLS 1.3 的完整覆盖。\n\n项目核心由 wolfCrypt 密码学库驱动，支持诸如 ChaCha20、Curve25519 以及后量子密码学组等前沿算法。它还提供 OpenSSL 兼容 API 接口，使原本依赖 OpenSSL 的应用程序能够更平稳地完成移植工作。"}
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
Latest release
Verifiedv5.9.2-stable
Source: GitHub API · latest_release=v5.9.2-stable · 8/22/2026
License
VerifiedGPL-3.0
Source: GitHub API · license.spdx_id=GPL-3.0 · 8/22/2026
needs api key
VerifiedNo
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
One-liner
Verified{"en":"A lightweight, cross-platform ANSI C TLS/SSL cryptographic library designed for embedded, real-time operating systems, and resource-constrained environments with TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3 support.","zh":"一个轻量级、跨平台的 ANSI C 编写的 TLS/SSL 加密库，专为嵌入式、实时操作系统和资源受限环境设计，支持 TLS 1.3 和 DTLS 1.3。"}
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
Platforms
Verifiedlinux, windows, macos
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
Category hint
Inferred from materialsai-apps
Source: Project README · hint=ai-apps · 8/22/2026
product forms
Verifiedlibrary_framework
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
role tags
Verifiedbackend, security
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
supports docker
VerifiedNo
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
supports local
VerifiedYes
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
supports self host
VerifiedYes
Source: admin_cms · cms editor · 8/22/2026
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