macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install knot-resolverlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install knot-resolverMacPorts ports tree · net/knot-resolver/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install knot-resolver with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, pacman
Minimalistic, caching, DNSSEC-validating DNS resolver. Version 6.4.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-04.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add knot-resolverAlpine Linux edge package indexes · knot-resolver · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install knot-resolverDebian stable package indexes · knot-resolver · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install knot-resolverFedora Rawhide package metadata · knot-resolver · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S knot-resolverArch Linux sync databases · knot-resolver · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Minimalistic, caching, DNSSEC-validating DNS resolver
Project links
Commands and aliases
- knot-resolver
- kres-cache-gc
- kresctl
- kresd
history
Project history and usage
Knot Resolver is CZ.NIC's caching, DNSSEC-validating recursive resolver, built as the resolver-side member of the Knot DNS family. Its package-manager identity matters because it is both a server daemon and a scriptable DNS platform: the Homebrew formula installs command-line tools such as kresd, kresctl, and cache maintenance utilities, while Unix packages place it beside other serious recursive resolvers.
Project history
The project reached its first public 1.0.0 release on 2016-05-30. Its early design combined a small C core with Lua/LuaJIT scripting and optional modules, a contrast with larger monolithic resolver codebases. The 1.1.0 release on 2016-08-12 already added features that became important to modern recursive DNS operations, including DNS Cookies, DNS over TLS, Prometheus metrics, query minimisation improvements, and a DNS firewall module.
Knot Resolver later split from the older ReadTheDocs-hosted documentation flow into CZ.NIC-controlled GitLab Pages documentation for the 6.x series, while keeping a stable public website and development repository under the CZ.NIC GitLab. The project remained tightly related to Knot DNS but serves the opposite side of DNS: recursive/caching resolution rather than authoritative zone service.
Adoption history
CZ.NIC presents Knot Resolver as scalable from home routers to large resolver farms. The project website records operational adoption beyond CZ.NIC, including CETIN using it in infrastructure since 2017 and Cloudflare describing it as a cornerstone of the 1.1.1.1 public resolver service.
Its adoption story is package-nerd relevant because recursive resolver software is often chosen conservatively. A resolver that appears in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, and Ubuntu packaging occupies a practical testing and operations lane next to Unbound, BIND, PowerDNS Recursor, and systemd-resolved.
How it is used
Users install Knot Resolver to run local, organizational, ISP, or public recursive DNS service with DNSSEC validation and caching. Its module system is central to usage: policy rules, forwarding, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, metrics, cache behavior, and filtering can be adjusted without treating the daemon as a black box.
The package also exposes companion tools for control and maintenance, so it is not just a background daemon formula. In package sets, that makes it useful to DNS operators who want reproducible installs on laptops, CI images, lab hosts, and production-like Unix systems.
Why package nerds care
Knot Resolver is interesting to package maintainers because it combines a network daemon, a scripting/runtime layer, DNSSEC crypto dependencies, system service integration, and changing configuration formats. Those are the things that expose weak packaging: wrong paths, missing service users, broken Lua module paths, or mismatched library versions show up quickly.
It also represents the post-2010 shift in DNS software toward encrypted transports, observability, and programmable policy. For users browsing package indexes, it is the recursive counterpart to Knot DNS and one of the few widely packaged alternatives that is both modern and registry-backed.
Timeline
- 2016-05-30: Knot Resolver 1.0.0 initial release.
- 2016-08-12: Knot Resolver 1.1.0 added DNS Cookies, DNS over TLS, Prometheus metrics, and query-minimisation improvements.
- 2017: CETIN adoption is described by CZ.NIC's project site as part of its infrastructure history.
- 2024-2025: The 5.7.x release series included KeyTrap-related DNSSEC hardening and maintenance updates.
- 2026-06-16: CZ.NIC announced Knot Resolver 6.4.0 on the project website.
Related projects
- Knot DNS is the authoritative DNS server in the same CZ.NIC family. Knot Resolver commonly appears in comparisons with Unbound, BIND, PowerDNS Recursor, and systemd-resolved because all can occupy recursive DNS roles, though their architecture and operational tradeoffs differ.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 10 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 3 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.
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/knot-resolver/config.yaml
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
knot-resolver | cli | global executable | |
kres-cache-gc | cli | global executable | |
kresctl | cli | global executable | |
kresd | 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 version6.4.0
manager updated2026-07-04
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.knot-resolver.cznone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:knot-resolver |
|---|---|
| Version | 6.4.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/knot-resolver |
| Homepage | https://www.knot-resolver.cz |
| Repository | https://gitlab.nic.cz/knot/knot-resolver.git |
| Upstream docs | https://www.knot-resolver.cz/documentation |
| License | CC0-1.0 AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND MIT |
| Source archive | https://knot-resolver.nic.cz/release/knot-resolver-6.4.0.tar.xz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-04T13:13:40+09:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | fstrm, gnutls, knot, libnghttp2, libuv, libyaml, lmdb, luajit, protobuf-c, python@3.14 |
| Build dependencies | meson, ninja, pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | libedit |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | knot-resolver |
| 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 |
|
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%
knot-resolver 5.7.5-1
caching, DNSSEC-validating DNS resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- 22 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
Debian apt95%
knot-resolver-doc 5.7.5-1
Documentation for Knot Resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
Debian apt95%
knot-resolver-module-http 5.7.5-1
HTTP module for Knot Resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver-module-http- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
Ubuntu apt95%
knot-resolver 5.7.2-1
caching, DNSSEC-validating DNS resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- 23 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
Ubuntu apt95%
knot-resolver-doc 5.7.2-1
Documentation for Knot Resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver-doc- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
Ubuntu apt95%
knot-resolver-module-http 5.7.2-1
HTTP module for Knot Resolver
sudo apt install knot-resolver-module-http- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation
sudo apk add knot-resolver- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-dbg 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation (debug symbols)
sudo apk add knot-resolver-dbg- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-dev 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation (development files)
sudo apk add knot-resolver-dev- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-doc 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation (documentation)
sudo apk add knot-resolver-doc- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-libs-static 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation (static library)
sudo apk add knot-resolver-libs-static- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-mod-dnstap 5.7.6-r0
Knot Resolver - dnstap logging
sudo apk add knot-resolver-mod-dnstap- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-mod-http 5.7.6-r0
Knot Resolver - HTTP/2 services
sudo apk add knot-resolver-mod-http- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
apk95%
knot-resolver-openrc 5.7.6-r0
Minimalistic caching DNS resolver implementation (OpenRC init scripts)
sudo apk add knot-resolver-openrc- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
dnf95%
knot-resolver 5.7.6-3.fc44
Caching full DNS Resolver
sudo dnf install knot-resolver- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 24 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
dnf95%
knot-resolver-devel 5.7.6-3.fc44
Development headers for Knot Resolver
sudo dnf install knot-resolver-devel- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: knot-resolver
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Knot Resolver
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