macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install djbdnslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install djbdnsMacPorts ports tree · net/djbdns/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install djbdns with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix
D.J. Bernstein's DNS tools. Version 1.05 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-09.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add djbdnsAlpine Linux edge package indexes · djbdns · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install axfrdnsDebian stable package indexes · axfrdns · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#djbdnsnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/dj/djbdns/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
D.J. Bernstein's DNS tools
Project links
Commands and aliases
- axfr-get
- axfrdns
- axfrdns-conf
- dnscache
- dnscache-conf
- dnsfilter
- dnsip
- dnsipq
- dnsmx
- dnsname
- dnsq
- dnsqr
- dnstrace
- dnstracesort
- dnstxt
- pickdns
- pickdns-conf
- pickdns-data
- random-ip
- rbldns
- rbldns-conf
- rbldns-data
- tinydns
- tinydns-conf
- tinydns-data
- tinydns-edit
- tinydns-get
- walldns
- walldns-conf
history
Project history and usage
djbdns is D. J. Bernstein's suite of Unix DNS tools, including dnscache for recursive caching, tinydns for authoritative DNS service, rbldns for DNS blocklist-style zones, and command-line query/debugging programs. It is old, deliberately small, and historically important because it presented a security-conscious alternative to monolithic BIND deployments.
Project history
The official djbdns site organizes the package around separate DNS jobs: finding addresses with dnscache, publishing addresses with tinydns and related servers, and debugging DNS with small command-line tools. The installation page identifies 1.05 as the published djbdns package and states that djbdns works under Unix.
Bernstein's documentation emphasized operational separation: caches and authoritative servers should run as distinct services, often on different IP addresses. The package's daemontools-style service directories and generated `/etc/dnscache` and `/etc/tinydns` trees made that model visible to Unix administrators.
Adoption history
djbdns adoption was shaped by DNS security culture in the early 2000s. The official security guarantee offered a bounty for verifiable holes in the published 1.05 release and explicitly contrasted djbdns with buffer-overflow classes that had affected BIND and resolver libraries.
The official run-cache and run-server guides asked operators to publish pages saying their DNS cache or server was powered by djbdns, an early-web adoption tactic meant to make deployments searchable and encourage support services and related tools.
How it is used
Package users generally install djbdns for its individual Unix commands rather than a single daemon. `dnscache-conf` creates a cache service, `tinydns-conf` creates an authoritative service, `tinydns-data` compiles zone data, and query tools such as `dnsq`, `dnsqr`, and `dnstrace` help debug DNS behavior.
Why package nerds care
djbdns matters in package history because it is a classic DJB-style toolset: small C programs, unusual configuration conventions, strong opinions about privilege separation, and a long afterlife in Unix package managers. It is also a useful example of software whose official distribution predates modern public source hosting, so a package can be historically important without having an official GitHub-style repository.
Timeline
- 2001-era: Official installation page names djbdns 1.05 as the published package.
- Early 2000s: Official security guarantee advertises a public bounty for verifiable security holes.
- Operational era: Official guides document dnscache, tinydns, rbldns, walldns, axfrdns, and DNS debugging utilities as separate Unix services and tools.
Related projects
- Related DNS packages include BIND, Unbound, NSD, Knot DNS, PowerDNS, MaraDNS, daemontools, and ucspi-tcp; djbdns is often discussed alongside them because of its separated cache/server design and DJB ecosystem conventions.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
/etc/tinydns/root/data/etc/dnscache/root/ip/127.0.0.1/etc/dnscache/seed
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
axfr-get | cli | global executable | |
axfrdns | cli | global executable | |
axfrdns-conf | cli | global executable | |
dnscache | cli | global executable | |
dnscache-conf | cli | global executable | |
dnsfilter | cli | global executable | |
dnsip | cli | global executable | |
dnsipq | cli | global executable | |
dnsmx | cli | global executable | |
dnsname | cli | global executable | |
dnsq | cli | global executable | |
dnsqr | cli | global executable | |
dnstrace | cli | global executable | |
dnstracesort | cli | global executable | |
dnstxt | cli | global executable | |
pickdns | cli | global executable | |
pickdns-conf | cli | global executable | |
pickdns-data | cli | global executable | |
random-ip | cli | global executable | |
rbldns | cli | global executable | |
rbldns-conf | cli | global executable | |
rbldns-data | cli | global executable | |
tinydns | cli | global executable | |
tinydns-conf | cli | global executable | |
tinydns-data | cli | global executable | |
tinydns-edit | cli | global executable | |
tinydns-get | cli | global executable | |
walldns | cli | global executable | |
walldns-conf | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.05
manager updated2026-06-09
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://cr.yp.to/djbdns.htmlnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:djbdns |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.05 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/djbdns |
| Homepage | https://cr.yp.to/djbdns.html |
| Upstream docs | https://cr.yp.to/djbdns.html |
| License | LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain |
| Source archive | https://cr.yp.to/djbdns/djbdns-1.05.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-09T15:08:27+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | daemontools, ucspi-tcp |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | djbdns |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
axfrdns 1:1.05-22
DNS zone-transfer server
sudo apt install axfrdns- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 8 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
djbdns-conf 1:1.05-22
programs to create service directories
sudo apt install djbdns-conf- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
djbdns-utils 1:1.05-22
dns debugging tools
sudo apt install djbdns-utils- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
dnscache 1:1.05-22
DNS cache - tool for finding addresses of Internet hosts
sudo apt install dnscache- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 6 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
rbldns 1:1.05-22
real time blackhole list server
sudo apt install rbldns- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 6 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
tinydns 1:1.05-22
DNS server - tool for publishing addresses of Internet hosts
sudo apt install tinydns- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 6 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Debian apt95%
walldns 1:1.05-22
reverse DNS wall
sudo apt install walldns- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 6 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Nix95%
djbdns
nix profile install nixpkgs#djbdns- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
axfrdns 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
DNS zone-transfer server
sudo apt install axfrdns- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 5 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
djbdns-conf 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
programs to create service directories
sudo apt install djbdns-conf- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
djbdns-utils 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
dns debugging tools
sudo apt install djbdns-utils- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
dnscache 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
DNS cache - tool for finding addresses of Internet hosts
sudo apt install dnscache- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 3 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
rbldns 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
real time blackhole list server
sudo apt install rbldns- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 3 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
tinydns 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
DNS server - tool for publishing addresses of Internet hosts
sudo apt install tinydns- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 3 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
Ubuntu apt95%
walldns 1:1.05-15ubuntu2
reverse DNS wall
sudo apt install walldns- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 3 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
apk95%
djbdns 1.05-r55
Excellent high-performance DNS services
sudo apk add djbdns- License: Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: djbdns
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Djbdns
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment