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Bind9

BIND 9 (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) is a full-featured DNS server packaged with a Webmin web interface for easy local network management.

  • Network Services
  • Tools & Utilities
BIND 9 (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) is a full-featured DNS server packaged with a Webmin web interface for easy local network management. It can serve as an authoritative nameserver, recursive resolver, or DNS forwarder, giving homelab users a lightweight, self-hosted DNS solution with a familiar web-based control panel.

Platform availability

Available on 2 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

75/100 Good

Maintained
100last commit 7 days ago
Popular
58780 GitHub stars
Easy to install
452 install platforms, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 6 days ago

GitHub stars
780
Open issues
0
Last commit
2026-10-07
License
MPL-2.0
Activity
declining

Checked 8 days ago - source: GitHub (isc-projects/bind9)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 16 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Set up rndc.conf with a strong secret key Create rndc.conf, the file used by the rndc command-line controller, with a strong rndc_key and set default-server (the server address rndc contacts) to your BIND server, usually 127.0.0.1 on the same machine. Keep the file private because that secret key is what lets rndc securely send reload or shutdown commands to BIND. source
  • Tell BIND where to write its logs Add a logging category so BIND writes startup and lookup errors to system logging (syslog) or a log file you can open later. Without readable logs, broken DNS (domain name system) settings or connection errors are very hard to diagnose. source
  • Fill in TLS file paths if using DNS over TLS If you enable DNS over TLS (encrypted DNS), enter exact valid paths for the key-file (private key), cert-file (certificate), and dhparam-file (encryption parameters) in the tls section. Wrong paths or missing files can stop BIND from providing encrypted DNS connections. source
  • Default Webmin credentials The Webmin web interface ships with default credentials (username: admin, password: difficult). Change the password immediately after first login; it can be overridden via Docker environment variables. source

Fetched 8 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (2)

  • Unbound - Unbound is a validating, recursive, and caching DNS resolver that you can self-host to run your own DNS server at home.
  • dnsmasq - Dnsmasq is a lightweight Domain Name System (DNS) forwarder and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server designed for small to med…

Checked 14 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

What should I configure in rndc.conf for Bind9?

Create rndc.conf with a strong rndc_key and set default-server to your BIND server, usually 127.0.0.1. Keep the file private because that key lets rndc send reload or shutdown commands.

How can I diagnose broken DNS settings in Bind9?

Add a logging category so BIND writes startup and lookup errors to syslog or a log file. Without readable logs, broken DNS settings or connection errors are very hard to diagnose.

What files do I need for Bind9 DNS over TLS?

If you enable DNS over TLS, enter exact valid paths for the key-file, cert-file, and dhparam-file in the tls section. Wrong paths or missing files can stop BIND from providing encrypted DNS connections.

Answers sourced from bind9.readthedocs.io, bind9.readthedocs.io

Community

Collected 11 days ago - public community threads