dnsmasq ☆

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Description:
Lightweight DNS forwarder and DHCP server

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 2.91@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Networking

Tags: dns dhcp networking caching local-development

Install: brew install dnsmasq

About:
dnsmasq is a lightweight, efficient DNS forwarder and DHCP server designed for local networks. It provides DNS caching, DNS forwarding, and DHCP services, making it ideal for small networks, development environments, and embedded systems. Its small footprint and simple configuration make it a popular choice for replacing ISP DNS and managing local domain resolution.

Key Features:

DNS caching and forwarding to reduce latency and bandwidth usage
Integrated DHCP server with static lease management
Supports local DNS resolution for custom domains and /etc/hosts entries
Lightweight and resource-efficient, suitable for embedded devices and routers

Use Cases:

Setting up a local development DNS server for custom `.localhost` or `.test` domains
Improving network privacy and speed by caching DNS queries locally
Managing DHCP for small office or home networks

Alternatives:

unbound – Unbound is a recursive DNS resolver focused on security and DNSSEC validation, while dnsmasq combines DNS forwarding with a DHCP server.
bind – BIND is a full-featured, authoritative DNS server; dnsmasq is simpler and better suited for caching and local network services.

License: GPL-2.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, sonoma, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Important Notes:

On current macOS releases, `/etc/resolver/<domain>` resolver overrides do not work if the nameserver is `127.0.0.1` and dnsmasq is running on a non-53 port.
To use scoped resolver zones reliably, bind dnsmasq to a non-localhost IP (e.g., a loopback alias like 10.0.0.1) on port 53.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 11, 2025 7:01am		0	VERSION_BUMP	66ad144d