Knot Resolver

Spec sheet

Purpose

Knot Resolver is a caching DNS resolver scalable from huge resolver farms down to home network routers.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Support

Users can choose free support through public channels or professional support with SLA and NDA.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Headquarters

Prague, Czech RepublicRead 28 Sep 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Architecture

Its core architecture is tiny and efficient, with rich features implemented as optional modules to limit attack surface and improve performance.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

DNSSEC

DNSSEC validation is enabled by default and the resolver supports RFC 5011 automated trust-anchor updates and RFC 7646 negative trust anchors.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Docker limitation

The documentation warns that running the container with a software-defined network such as Kubernetes will likely cause performance losses.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Encrypted DNS

The documentation lists DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, and DNS-over-QUIC among supported networking protocols.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Extensibility

The modular architecture provides a state-machine-like API for extensions, and C and Lua modules can tap into the resolution process.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Installation

Official installation guidance covers Debian/Ubuntu repositories, Fedora/RHEL derivatives/openSUSE packages, source releases, and an official Docker image.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Latest release

The site lists Knot Resolver 6.5.0 as released on October 1, 2026.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Management

The documentation provides an HTTP API and the kresctl utility for management.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Monitoring integrations

Statistics can be exported to Graphite, InfluxDB, or Metronome, or exposed through a Prometheus metrics endpoint.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Performance

The server uses a no-threading, shared-nothing architecture except for optionally shared cache, and instances can be reconfigured without downtime.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Security reporting

Sensitive security issues can be reported using the listed contact address and associated PGP keyring.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Security testing

The code is continuously checked by an extensive testing suite for stability, interoperability, performance regressions, and security-related problems.Read 1 Oct 2026 · knot-resolver.cz

Plans and prices

Every Knot Resolver plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• DNS Server Software#10 of 237.7