bus1/dbus-broker
FreeLinux D-Bus Message Broker
FreeFree tier
About bus1/dbus-broker
dbus-broker is a high-performance, reliable implementation of a message bus as defined by the D-Bus specification. It aims to provide compatibility with the D-Bus reference implementation while leveraging modern Linux kernel features for enhanced performance. Written primarily in C with some Rust components, dbus-broker is designed exclusively for Linux systems and uses the Meson build system. It is released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license and is actively maintained by the bus1 project.
Key Features
High-performance message bus implementation compliant with the D-Bus specification
Compatibility with the D-Bus reference implementation (dbus-daemon)
Leverages modern Linux kernel features (requires kernel >= 4.17)
Written in C and Rust for performance and safety
Uses Meson build system for building
Optional support for audit (libaudit), capabilities (libcap-ng), and SELinux (libselinux)
Compatibility launcher for seamless replacement of dbus-daemon
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High performance and reliability compared to reference implementation
- Compatible with existing D-Bus clients and services
- Actively maintained with regular releases (33 releases, latest June 2025)
- Open source under GPL-3.0-or-later, free to use and modify
- Built on modern Linux kernel capabilities for efficiency
Cons
- Linux-only; no support for other operating systems
- Requires a relatively recent Linux kernel (>= 4.17) and build tools (Rust, Meson)
- May require manual compilation and configuration; not pre-packaged in all distributions
- Smaller community and ecosystem compared to the reference dbus-daemon
Best For
Replacing dbus-daemon in Linux desktop environments for improved performance and reliabilitySystem IPC for inter-process communication in Linux systemsMessage broker for services and applications using the D-Bus protocolHigh-reliability messaging infrastructure in embedded or server Linux systems
FAQ
What is dbus-broker?
dbus-broker is a high-performance, reliable implementation of a D-Bus message bus for Linux systems, designed to be compatible with the D-Bus reference implementation.
What are the system requirements?
It requires glibc >= 2.16, Linux kernel >= 4.17, and at build time: Linux kernel headers >= 6.5, Meson >= 1.3, pkg-config >= 0.29, Rust >= 1.84, and rust-bindgen >= 0.60. Optional dependencies include libaudit, libcap-ng, and libselinux.
How do I install dbus-broker?
It uses the Meson build system. Typical installation commands: meson setup build, meson compile -C build, meson test -C build, meson install -C build.
What license is dbus-broker under?
It is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3.0 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later).
Is dbus-broker a drop-in replacement for dbus-daemon?
Yes, it aims to provide compatibility with the D-Bus reference implementation and includes a compatibility launcher for seamless replacement.