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Install unbound with Homebrew
Validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver. Version 1.25.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-22.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unbound
- unbound-anchor
- unbound-checkconf
- unbound-control
- unbound-control-setup
- unbound-host
history
Project history and usage
Unbound is NLnet Labs' validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver. It is one of the significant infrastructure packages in this batch: a security- and privacy-oriented resolver used as a local stub resolver, a network recursive resolver, a DNSSEC validator, and a library.
Project history
The official Unbound history says the project started to develop independent open-source DNS software and documentation, jointly funded by VeriSign and the University of Southern California/Information Sciences Institute. The C implementation was based on a Java prototype and was released in May 2008.
The official requirements document names the early resolver work by Bill Manning, David Blacka, and Matt Larson, with contributions from Geoff Sisson and Roy Arends, and says that around 2006 NLnet Labs volunteered to write a full C implementation ready for deployed use.
From the beginning, Unbound was designed around modular resolver components: validator, iterator, cache, networking, and query management. Its stated goals included DNSSEC support, high performance, code diversity in the DNS resolver monoculture, use as a stub resolver or full caching nameserver, portability, and a BSD license.
Adoption history
NLnet Labs' project page says Unbound runs on Linux and BSD distributions as well as macOS, has packages for most platforms, is included in the base system of all major BSD operating systems, and is in the standard repositories of most Linux distributions.
The input package metadata reflects that breadth in package-manager terms: Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, Scoop, winget, zypper, apk, Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu entries are present. For package users, Unbound is not a novelty CLI; it is deployable network infrastructure.
Unbound's adoption also tracks changes in DNS operations: DNSSEC validation, local caching, query minimisation, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, authority zones, and aggressive DNSSEC-validated cache all appear in official NLnet Labs documentation or release notes.
How it is used
The official home-network tutorial presents Unbound as a resolver that can be installed from OS packages, tested with `dig`, and then used first for a single machine and then for a whole network. It notes that Unbound behaves as a caching recursive DNS resolver out of the box on installation.
Command-line package users care about the suite around the daemon: `unbound-checkconf` for validation, `unbound-control` and `unbound-control-setup` for administration, `unbound-anchor` for trust-anchor handling, and `unbound-host` for lookups. Those executables turn the resolver into something that can be configured, tested, and automated like other Unix services.
Why package nerds care
Unbound is highly significant in package-manager culture because it is a small, modern alternative to monolithic DNS server deployments for the recursive-resolver role. It is commonly installed on routers, servers, BSD systems, developer laptops, and self-hosted networks.
For package nerds, Unbound represents the ideal infrastructure package: source-available, portable, daemonized, scriptable, configurable through text files, and backed by a specialist upstream. Its DNSSEC and privacy features made it a default recommendation in many local-resolver and self-hosting setups.
Timeline
- 2006: NLnet Labs volunteers to write the deployed C implementation.
- 2008: Unbound C implementation released in May.
- 2018: Unbound 1.7.0 adds features including aggressive use of the DNSSEC-validated cache.
- 2026: NLnet Labs documentation and project page list Unbound 1.25.1 as the current documented series.
Related projects
- NSD, also from NLnet Labs, is the related authoritative DNS server counterpart to Unbound's recursive-resolver role.
- libunbound exposes resolver functionality to applications, and related DNS privacy/standards work includes DNSSEC, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, query name minimisation, and RFC 8198 aggressive DNSSEC-validated cache.
Sources
- https://nlnetlabs.nl/news/2018/Mar/15/unbound-1.7.0-released/
- https://nlnetlabs.nl/projects/unbound/about/
- https://unbound.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/en/latest/reference/history/index.html
- https://unbound.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/en/latest/reference/history/requirements.html
- https://unbound.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/en/latest/use-cases/home-resolver.html
- source_facts.package-manager
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 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.
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
/usr/local/etc/unbound/unbound.conf
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
/usr/local/etc/unbound/unbound_server.key/usr/local/etc/unbound/unbound_control.key/usr/local/etc/unbound/unbound_server.pem/usr/local/etc/unbound/unbound_control.pem
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
unbound | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unbound-anchor | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unbound-checkconf | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unbound-control | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unbound-control-setup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unbound-host | 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 version1.25.2
manager updated2026-07-22
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:unbound |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.25.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.unbound.net |
| Repository | https://github.com/NLnetLabs/unbound |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22T11:02:40Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation