install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install dnsx

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install dnsx

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dnsx · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#dnsx

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/dn/dnsx/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

DNS query and resolution tool

Project links

Commands and aliases

dnsx

history

Project history and usage

dnsx is ProjectDiscovery's fast DNS query and resolution CLI, built for reconnaissance pipelines and bulk probing rather than interactive DNS administration.

Its history is mainly the history of ProjectDiscovery standardizing bug-bounty and attack-surface tooling around composable Go CLIs that stream data through stdin and stdout.

Project history

The public release line starts with v1.0.0 in November 2020, and subsequent releases kept dnsx in the ProjectDiscovery toolkit alongside tools such as subfinder, httpx, naabu, nuclei, and shuffledns.

The documentation and README frame dnsx as a retryabledns-based toolkit for multiple DNS query types, custom resolvers, brute-force resolution, and wildcard handling.

Adoption history

dnsx became part of the common ProjectDiscovery reconnaissance workflow: subdomain inputs from one tool can be resolved and filtered through dnsx, then passed onward to HTTP probing or vulnerability scanning tools.

Packaging in Homebrew, Fedora, Nix, and Kali reflects adoption by both developer workstations and security-testing distributions.

How it is used

dnsx is commonly used to resolve lists of domains, query specific DNS record types, use custom resolver pools, brute-force names, and remove wildcard DNS noise from large candidate sets.

Its stdin/stdout design makes it useful in shell pipelines and CI-style scanning jobs.

Why package nerds care

dnsx matters less as a novel DNS protocol implementation and more as a modern packaging example: a single static-ish Go CLI designed to be chained with a security-tool ecosystem.

The package shows how DNS utilities have moved from administrator-only troubleshooting toward high-volume reconnaissance and asset inventory workflows.

Timeline

2020: dnsx v1.0.0 was released as a ProjectDiscovery DNS toolkit.
2021-2023: v1.0.x and v1.1.x releases broadened the tool while it became a regular component of ProjectDiscovery reconnaissance pipelines.
2024: v1.2.0 and later releases continued the Go module and packaging lifecycle.
2025: v1.2.3 release activity shows the project still being maintained.

Related projects

ProjectDiscovery siblings include subfinder for subdomain discovery, httpx for HTTP probing, naabu for port scanning, nuclei for template-based scanning, and shuffledns for mass DNS resolution with wildcard filtering.
dnsx is also related to retryabledns, the Go library it uses for resilient DNS probing.

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 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`dnsx`	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 version1.2.3

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.2.3

https://github.com/projectdiscovery/dnsx

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:dnsx
Version	1.2.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dnsx
Homepage	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/dnsx
Repository	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/dnsx
Upstream docs	https://docs.projectdiscovery.io/opensource/dnsx/overview
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/dnsx/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.3.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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	dnsx
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

dnsx

nix profile install nixpkgs#dnsx

normalized package name match
Matched by: Dnsx

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dn/dnsx/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

dnf95%

dnsx 1.2.2-6.fc44

Dnsx is a fast and multi-purpose DNS toolkit

https://github.com/projectdiscovery/dnsx

sudo dnf install dnsx

License: 0BSD AND Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND ICU AND ISC AND MIT AND MPL-2.0 AND Unlicense
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dnsx
3 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dnsx

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: dnsx from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/dnsx.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install dnsx with Homebrew, dnf, Nix