macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install massdnslocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 4653
Install massdns with Homebrew, dnf, Nix
High-performance DNS stub resolver. Version 1.1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#massdns.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install massdnsFedora Rawhide package metadata · massdns · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#massdnsnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ma/massdns/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
High-performance DNS stub resolver
Project links
Commands and aliases
- massdns
history
Project history and usage
MassDNS is a high-performance DNS stub resolver for bulk lookups and reconnaissance. It targets use cases where users need to resolve millions or billions of names and tune resolver, output, retry, and concurrency behavior from the command line.
Project history
The MassDNS repository was created in June 2016. Its README identifies Quirin Scheitle and the Technical University of Munich among the contributors and describes the tool as capable of more than 350,000 resolutions per second without special configuration.
Release history is sparse but meaningful. Version 0.3 in 2020 replaced an `ldns` dependency with a custom DNS implementation to reduce memory allocations and added NDJSON output. Version 1.0.0 in 2021 switched the project to semantic versioning, and version 1.1.0 in 2024 added resolver-list tooling, dedicated resolver support, SVCB and HTTPS record support, and several community fixes.
Adoption history
MassDNS has a visible security and DNS-research audience, with several thousand GitHub stars and hundreds of forks. The supplied package metadata records Homebrew, Fedora, and Nix packages, which makes it accessible from both workstation and Linux server environments.
Its adoption is closely tied to subdomain enumeration and bulk DNS workflows. The README includes scripts for PTR resolution, subdomain brute forcing, certificate-transparency-derived names, and direct authoritative-name-server enumeration.
How it is used
Typical usage pipes a domain list into `massdns`, chooses a resolver list with `-r`, selects a record type with `-t`, and writes output with `-w` or stdout redirection. Output modes include simple text, full text, binary, domain-list output, and NDJSON.
The README emphasizes operational caution: public resolvers may be unreliable or generate abuse complaints, and users should adjust concurrency and prefer trusted resolvers when authenticity matters.
Why package nerds care
MassDNS matters to package users because it provides a fast, small DNS reconnaissance primitive that can be installed without dragging in a large framework.
For command-line security and network engineers, it is the DNS-side counterpart to other high-throughput reconnaissance tools: composable, pipe-friendly, and tuned by flags rather than a GUI.
Timeline
- 2016: GitHub repository created.
- 2020: v0.3 release removes the `ldns` dependency and adds NDJSON output.
- 2021: v1.0.0 switches to semantic versioning.
- 2024: v1.1.0 release adds resolver tooling and SVCB/HTTPS record support.
Related projects
- MassDNS includes and references subdomain enumeration workflows inspired by or compatible with tools such as subbrute.
- It is commonly used alongside wordlists, certificate transparency sources, and local recursive resolvers such as Unbound.
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 bottle metadata was recorded.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
massdns | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version1.1.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:massdns |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/blechschmidt/massdns |
| Repository | https://github.com/blechschmidt/massdns |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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%
massdns
nix profile install nixpkgs#massdns- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Massdns
dnf95%
massdns 0.3-16.fc45
High-performance DNS stub resolver for bulk lookups and reconnaissance
https://github.com/blechschmidt/massdns
sudo dnf install massdns- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: massdns
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Massdns
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation