YKYH Picks
☰ Menu
Home›Command-Line Tools›pcsc-lite
CLI Open source 275 installs/mo

pcsc-lite for Mac

Middleware to access a smart card using SCard API

Quick answer: pcsc-lite is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install pcsc-lite. It is distributed under the BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND ISC licence. It has 275 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What pcsc-lite is

pcsc-lite is a command-line tool for macOS: middleware to access a smart card using SCard API.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND ISC licence.

How to install pcsc-lite

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install pcsc-lite.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Command-Line Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

sane-backendsBackends for scanner accessCLIOpen source276/moaws-sso-cliSecurely manage AWS API credentials using AWS SSOCLIOpen source293/mogcalcliEasily access your Google Calendar(s) from a command-lineCLIOpen source297/mogspellFlexible API to implement spellchecking in GTK+ applicationsCLIOpen source300/moaugeasConfiguration editing tool and APICLIOpen source245/moclusterctlHome for the Cluster Management API work, a subproject of sig-cluster-lifecycleCLIOpen source312/mo

Frequently asked questions

How do I install pcsc-lite on Mac?

Run brew install pcsc-lite in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is pcsc-lite open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND ISC licence.

Does pcsc-lite run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is pcsc-lite?

It was installed 275 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #2129 in this catalogue.

What version of pcsc-lite is current?

The latest packaged version is 2.5.3.