# getdnsapi/stubby

Stubby is the name given to a mode of using getdns which enables it to act as a local DNS Privacy stub resolver (using DNS-over-TLS).

Repository: https://github.com/getdnsapi/stubby
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/stubby
Homepage: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/
Language: C
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2025-07-15T10:37:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 37/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 31, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3355, "days_push": 414, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1314, forks 104 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:20.402444+00:00)

## What it is
Stubby is a local DNS Privacy stub resolver daemon that encrypts DNS queries using DNS-over-TLS (RFC 7858), built on the getdns library. It listens on loopback and forwards outgoing DNS queries over authenticated TLS connections to privacy-respecting resolvers.

## Use cases
- encrypt DNS queries with DNS-over-TLS on my laptop
- hide DNS traffic from network observers
- run a local stub resolver daemon on Linux
- use DNS privacy resolvers like Cloudflare or Quad9 with strict authentication
- set up encrypted DNS on macOS or Windows
- protect DNS queries on public Wi-Fi

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight, dedicated DNS-over-TLS stub resolver for a desktop or laptop
- you need strict privacy mode with authenticated upstream resolvers
- you are comfortable editing YAML configuration and changing system DNS settings
- you want a cross-platform (Linux/macOS/Windows) daemon maintained by the getdns team

## When to avoid
- you need DNS-over-HTTPS support, which is not yet available
- you want a fully user-friendly GUI experience (GUIs are alpha/experimental)
- you need a full recursive or caching resolver rather than a stub resolver
- you prefer DNSCrypt protocol instead of DNS-over-TLS

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: security, privacy, networking, cli, proxy
- domain: privacy, networking, security, self-hosted
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: dns, dns-over-tls, stub-resolver, dns-privacy, daemon, getdns, c, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- getdnsapi/stubby (main) score 37

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.402444+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 2026-08-30T04:48:46.045640+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/getdnsapi/stubby (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.402444+00:00, sha 9fb93a881b55)
  - homepage: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.398410+00:00, sha 173848c8697e)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/about_stubby (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.407590+00:00, sha b129213ba949)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.409711+00:00, sha d1b2c0018379)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation/linux_from_source (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.411573+00:00, sha e75e7295627b)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation/running_as_a_service_on_nix (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.413412+00:00, sha 2853d3af1a46)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation/macos_homebrew (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.415045+00:00, sha 61fd1f610628)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation/stubby_gui_for_macos (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.416753+00:00, sha 40d1e2b84bb2)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/installation/windows_installer_for_stubby (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.419257+00:00, sha 9968613c8c28)
  - site_page: https://dnsprivacy.org/dns_privacy_daemon_-_stubby/stubby_manager_gui (fetched 2026-08-29T12:07:28.421489+00:00, sha a99048945ea7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.