# PowerDNS/pdns

PowerDNS Authoritative, PowerDNS Recursor, dnsdist

Repository: https://github.com/PowerDNS/pdns
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pdns
Homepage: https://www.powerdns.com/
Language: C++
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: powerdns, recursor, dns, dns-server, dnsdist, authoritative, powerdns-authoritative-server, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T14:33:53+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4877, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4456, forks 1023 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:50.620690+00:00)

## What it is
PowerDNS is a suite of open-source DNS software written in C++, comprising the Authoritative Server, the Recursor, and dnsdist. It provides database-backed authoritative DNS serving, high-performance recursive resolution, and DNS-aware load balancing with DDoS and abuse protection.

## Use cases
- host authoritative DNS zones backed by a database like MySQL or PostgreSQL
- run a high-performance recursive DNS resolver for my network
- load balance DNS traffic across multiple backend servers
- protect DNS infrastructure from DDoS and abuse
- serve DNS over TLS, HTTPS, or QUIC for privacy
- sign DNS zones with DNSSEC
- set up a self-hosted DNS server for my domain
- filter or block malicious DNS queries at the resolver

## When to choose
- you need a production-grade, database-backed authoritative DNS server
- you need a fast recursive resolver with scripting (Lua) support
- you need DNS load balancing, caching, or DoT/DoH/DoQ termination
- you want mature, actively maintained open-source DNS infrastructure

## When to avoid
- you only need a simple static zone file server like BIND or dnsmasq for a small setup
- you need a managed cloud DNS service rather than self-hosted infrastructure
- you need a lightweight DNS forwarder for a single machine

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: stable
- function: networking, security, caching, monitoring, self-hosted
- domain: networking, security, infrastructure-as-code, self-hosted, developer-tools
- platform: windows, self-hosted, cpp
- tags: dns-server, authoritative-dns, recursive-resolver, dnsdist, dnssec, dns-load-balancer, doh, dot, doq, ddos-protection, linux, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- PowerDNS/pdns (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:50.620690+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:20:44.028701+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/PowerDNS/pdns (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:50.620690+00:00, sha 8e06ceb8bbe4)
  - homepage: https://www.powerdns.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:07:37.956698+00:00, sha dcae665ea0c2)
  - site_page: https://www.powerdns.com/documentation (fetched 2026-08-29T09:07:37.966147+00:00, sha f853da3aee84)
  - site_page: https://www.powerdns.com/documentation?hsLang=en (fetched 2026-08-29T09:07:37.969096+00:00, sha f853da3aee84)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.