Install dnsrobocert with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• dnsrobocert

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in June 2017, and the first GitHub release, 1.0.0, followed later that month. The official documentation describes the design as orchestration of Certbot for certificate issuance and Lexicon for standardized DNS provider updates.

The project grew around the operational gap left by HTTP/TLS challenge tools: private services, non-web services, wildcard certificates, and deployments where opening an inbound web challenge is not practical. Its documentation emphasizes Docker support, dynamic reload of configuration, regular renewal, hooks, and DNS alias mode.

Adoption history

DNSroboCert is packaged for Homebrew, but its official user guide presents pipx and Docker as the main installation paths. That fits its audience: self-hosters and operators who want long-running certificate automation rather than a one-shot ACME client invocation.

How it is used

Users maintain a central YAML file, typically /etc/dnsrobocert/config.yml, with acme, profiles, and certificates sections. Profiles hold DNS provider credentials for Lexicon, certificates reference those profiles, and the service validates the file before issuing or renewing certificates.

Why package nerds care

DNSroboCert is interesting to package maintainers because it wraps several moving parts that usually leak into local scripts: Certbot, Lexicon provider plugins, provider credentials, renewal cadence, Docker volumes, and certificate propagation hooks. Its package surface is small, but its runtime configuration is security-sensitive.

Timeline

• 2017: GitHub repository created.
• 2017: First GitHub release, 1.0.0, published.
• 2020: Documentation examples use the 3.0.0 installation flow and container paths.
• 2026: v3.27.0 release published and Read the Docs displays DNSroboCert 3.27.0 documentation.

Related projects

• Certbot is the underlying ACME client named by the docs. Lexicon provides the DNS provider API layer. The docs compare DNSroboCert's use case with reverse-proxy automation such as Traefik and nginx-proxy companion, and mention acme.sh DNS alias mode as related DNS challenge practice.

Sources

• https://dnsrobocert.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
• https://dnsrobocert.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide.html
• https://dnsrobocert.readthedocs.io/en/latest/configuration_reference.html
• https://api.github.com/repos/adferrand/dnsrobocert
• https://api.github.com/repos/adferrand/dnsrobocert/releases?per_page=100
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dnsrobocert