launchdns ☆

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Description:
Mini DNS server designed solely to route queries to localhost

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: dns development local networking localhost

Install: brew install launchdns

About:
LaunchDNS is a lightweight, forwarding DNS server that resolves all queries to the local machine (127.0.0.1). It enables developers to map custom domains like 'app.local' to localhost without editing system files. This simplifies local web development, especially for testing subdomains, cookies, and complex routing scenarios.

Key Features:

Forwards all DNS queries to localhost (127.0.0.1)
Supports both UDP and TCP protocols
Configurable via a simple .launchdns file
Lightweight and easy to install/remove
Resolves any subdomain to localhost

Use Cases:

Developing web applications that require custom local domains
Testing third-party OAuth integrations locally
Running multiple local services on different subdomains
Avoiding /etc/hosts modifications for dynamic domains

Alternatives:

dnsmasq – More powerful and full-featured but significantly more complex to configure for this specific use case
dnsmasq – Heavier weight with many features not needed for simple localhost routing
pow – Application server with built-in DNS, but unmaintained and more opinionated about app structure

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 14, 2024 8:59pm		2	VERSION_BUMP	a7f98391