---
name: "pollen"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "pollen"
version: "4.21-5+b23"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pollen"
---

# pollen(1)

an Entropy-as-a-Service web server

## NAME

**pollen** - an Entropy-as-a-Service web server

## SYNOPSIS

**pollen** \[OPTION\]...

## OPTIONS

**-http-port** - the HTTP port on which to listen and serve cleartext responses; use "" to disable; default is "80"

**-https-port** - the HTTPS port on which to listen and serve encrypted, TLS responses; use "" to disable; default is "443"

**-device** - the device to use for reading and writing random data; default is */dev/urandom*

**-bytes** - the size, in bytes, to transmit and receive each time to peers or neighbors listening in the pool; default is 64

**-cert** - the path to the TLS certificate; default is */etc/pollen/cert.pem*

**-key** - the path to the TLS key; default is */etc/pollen/key.pem*

## DESCRIPTION

**pollen** is an Entropy-as-a-Service web server, providing random seeds over a TLS encrypted connection.

All requests are serviced over HTTPS, using the key at */etc/pollen/key.pem* and the cert at */etc/pollen/cert.pem*.

Some configuration options are available to the system administrator in */etc/default/pollen*.

## SEE ALSO

[**pollen**(1)](/pollen/1.md), [**pollinate**(1)](/pollinate/1.md)

## AUTHOR

This manpage and the utility were written by Dustin Kirkland \<kirkland@ubuntu.com\> for Ubuntu systems (but may be used by others).  Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Version 3 published by the Free Software Foundation.

On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL, or on the web at *http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt*.