# Install dnstop with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix Console tool to analyze DNS traffic. Version 20140915 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:dnstop ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install dnstop ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install dnstop ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: net/dnstop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add dnstop ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dnstop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install dnstop ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: dnstop from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install dnstop ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: dnstop from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#dnstop ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dn/dnstop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:dnstop - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 20140915 - **Source summary:** Console tool to analyze DNS traffic - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - dnstop (cli) - dnstop (alias) ## Uses from macOS - libpcap - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 20140915 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/index.html - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage dnstop is a curses-style libpcap tool for watching DNS traffic tables from a live interface or packet capture. It is the DNS equivalent of a focused top-like view: small, old, and still useful when a resolver or network segment is producing strange query traffic. ### Project history The Measurement Factory publicity page says dnstop was written with research into large amounts of bogus traffic received by root DNS servers and was originally presented at NANOG26. The project site and README describe the core feature set: tables for source and destination addresses, query types, response codes, opcodes, and domain levels. The man page is dated March 21, 2008 and names Duane Wessels, Mark Foster, Jose Nazario, and other contributors. In 2018, the official source page was updated to point to the GitHub repository as the maintained source location while keeping the old source directory for tarballs and individual files. ### Adoption history dnstop spread early through operator communities. The official source page lists portability notes for Mac OS X with fink, FreeBSD Ports, NetBSD Packages, Gentoo Portage, Debian unstable, EPEL, Linux source builds, and Solaris. The publicity page preserves 2002 and 2003 operator feedback from people running it on DNS, mail, FreeBSD, and Solaris systems. ### How it is used Users run dnstop on a network device or read a tcpdump savefile. It can filter for unknown TLD leakage, RFC1918 PTR leakage, REFUSED, SERVFAIL, NXDOMAIN, and other DNS patterns, then switch between live tables interactively or print top entries from a capture in non-interactive mode. ### Why package nerds care dnstop is the kind of small C network utility that package maintainers like because it has a clear job and few moving parts: libpcap plus a terminal UI. Its significance is historical as much as practical: it came from root-DNS measurement work and became a standard packaged tool for DNS traffic triage. ### Timeline - 2002: dnstop presented at NANOG26 according to the official publicity page. - 2003: Publicity page records operator adoption feedback after the root-DNS traffic research. - 2008: dnstop manual page dated March 21, 2008. - 2018: Official source page updated to point to the GitHub repository. - 2026: GitHub repository metadata shows continued maintenance activity. ### Related projects - tcpdump and libpcap are the closest technical relatives: dnstop reads live captures or pcap savefiles. DNS measurement work at The Measurement Factory is the historical context, and DNS-OARC-style operator tooling is the cultural neighborhood. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** dnstop - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - dnstop - 20240820-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: dnstop from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | console tool to analyze DNS traffic | http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/ - Nix - dnstop: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dn/dnstop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - dnstop - 20120611-2build5: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: dnstop from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | console tool to analyze DNS traffic | http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/ - apk - dnstop - 20140915-r8: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dnstop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A DNS traffic capture utility | http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/ - apk - dnstop-doc - 20140915-r8: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dnstop-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A DNS traffic capture utility (documentation) | http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/ - dnf - dnstop - 20140915-28.git20240708.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: dnstop from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Displays information about DNS traffic on your network | http://dns.measurement-factory.com/tools/dnstop/ - MacPorts - dnstop: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: net/dnstop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Web development packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/web-dev-tools/) - Matched web development metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [darkstat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/darkstat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, networking, traffic-analysis. - [httptap](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/httptap/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dns, monitoring, networking. - [sniffer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sniffer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, networking, packet-capture, traffic-analysis. - [adns](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adns/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dns, networking. - [aliddns](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aliddns/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dns, networking. - [bind](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bind/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dns, networking. - [bwm-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bwm-ng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, console, monitoring, networking. - [c-ares](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/c-ares/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dns, networking. - [httpflow](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/httpflow/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: analysis, capture, cli, networking, packet. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/dnstop.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/dnstop.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph