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docs: streamline README for clarity and scannability

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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Razvan Dimescu
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A portable DNS resolver in a single binary. Block ads on any network, name your local services (`frontend.numa`), and override any hostname with auto-revert — all from your laptop, no cloud account or Raspberry Pi required.
Built from scratch in Rust. Zero DNS libraries. RFC 1035 wire protocol parsed by hand. Recursive resolution from root nameservers with full DNSSEC validation (chain-of-trust + NSEC/NSEC3 denial proofs). One ~8MB binary, no PHP, no web server, no database — everything is embedded.
Built from scratch in Rust. Zero DNS libraries. RFC 1035 wire protocol parsed by hand. Recursive resolution from root nameservers with full DNSSEC chain-of-trust validation. One ~8MB binary, everything embedded.
![Numa dashboard](assets/hero-demo.gif)
## Quick Start
```bash
# Install (pick one)
brew install razvandimescu/tap/numa
cargo install numa
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/razvandimescu/numa/main/install.sh | sh
# Run (port 53 requires root)
sudo numa
# Try it
dig @127.0.0.1 google.com # ✓ resolves normally
dig @127.0.0.1 ads.google.com # ✗ blocked → 0.0.0.0
brew install razvandimescu/tap/numa # or: cargo install numa
sudo numa # port 53 requires root
```
Open the dashboard: **http://numa.numa** (or `http://localhost:5380`)
### Set as system resolver
Set as system DNS: `sudo numa install && sudo numa service start`
```bash
# Point your system DNS to Numa (saves originals for uninstall)
sudo numa install
## Local Services
# Run as a persistent service (auto-starts on boot, restarts if killed)
sudo numa service start
```
To uninstall: `sudo numa service stop` removes the service, `sudo numa uninstall` restores your original DNS.
### Upgrade
```bash
# From Homebrew
brew upgrade numa
# From source
make deploy # builds release, copies binary, re-signs, restarts service
```
### Build from source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/razvandimescu/numa.git && cd numa
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/numa /usr/local/bin/numa
```
## Why Numa
- **Local service proxy** — `https://frontend.numa` instead of `localhost:5173`. Auto-generated TLS certs, WebSocket support for HMR. Like `/etc/hosts` but with auto TLS, a REST API, LAN discovery, and auto-revert.
- **Path-based routing** — `app.numa/api → :5001`, `app.numa/auth → :5002`. Route URL paths to different backends with optional prefix stripping. Like nginx location blocks, zero config files.
- **LAN service discovery** — Numa instances on the same network find each other automatically via mDNS. Access a teammate's `api.numa` from your machine. Opt-in via `[lan] enabled = true`.
- **Developer overrides** — point any hostname to any IP, auto-reverts after N minutes. Full REST API for scripting. Built-in diagnostics: `curl localhost:5380/diagnose/example.com` tells you exactly how any domain resolves.
- **DNS-over-HTTPS** — upstream queries encrypted via DoH. Your ISP sees HTTPS traffic, not DNS queries. Set `address = "https://9.9.9.9/dns-query"` in `[upstream]` or any DoH provider.
- **Ad blocking that travels with you** — 385K+ domains blocked via [Hagezi Pro](https://github.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists). Works on any network: coffee shops, hotels, airports.
- **Sub-microsecond caching** — 691ns cached round-trip, ~2.0M queries/sec throughput, zero heap allocations in the I/O path. [Benchmarks](bench/).
- **Live dashboard** — real-time stats, query log, blocking controls, service management. LAN accessibility badges show which services are reachable from other devices.
- **macOS, Linux, and Windows** — `numa install` configures system DNS, `numa service start` runs as launchd/systemd service.
## Local Service Proxy
Name your local dev services with `.numa` domains:
Name your dev services instead of remembering port numbers:
```bash
curl -X POST localhost:5380/services \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"name":"frontend","target_port":5173}'
open http://frontend.numa # → proxied to localhost:5173
```
- **HTTPS with green lock** — auto-generated local CA + per-service TLS certs
- **WebSocket** — Vite/webpack HMR works through the proxy
- **Health checks** — dashboard shows green/red status per service
- **LAN sharing** — services bound to `0.0.0.0` are automatically discoverable by other Numa instances on the network. Dashboard shows "LAN" or "local only" per service.
- **Path-based routing** — route URL paths to different backends:
```toml
[[services]]
name = "app"
target_port = 3000
routes = [
{ path = "/api", port = 5001 },
{ path = "/auth", port = 5002, strip = true },
]
```
`app.numa/api/users → :5001/api/users`, `app.numa/auth/login → :5002/login` (stripped)
- **Persistent** — services survive restarts
- Or configure in `numa.toml`:
Now `https://frontend.numa` works in your browser — green lock, valid cert, WebSocket passthrough for HMR. No mkcert, no nginx, no `/etc/hosts`.
```toml
[[services]]
name = "frontend"
target_port = 5173
```
Add path-based routing (`app.numa/api → :5001`), share services across machines via LAN discovery, or configure everything in [`numa.toml`](numa.toml).
## LAN Service Discovery
## Ad Blocking & Privacy
Run Numa on multiple machines. They find each other automatically:
385K+ domains blocked via [Hagezi Pro](https://github.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists). Works on any network — coffee shops, hotels, airports. Travels with your laptop.
Two resolution modes: **forward** (relay to Quad9/Cloudflare via encrypted DoH) or **recursive** (resolve from root nameservers — no upstream dependency, no single entity sees your full query pattern). DNSSEC validates the full chain of trust: RRSIG signatures, DNSKEY verification, DS delegation, NSEC/NSEC3 denial proofs. [Read how it works →](https://numa.rs/blog/posts/dnssec-from-scratch.html)
## LAN Discovery
Run Numa on multiple machines. They find each other automatically via mDNS:
```
Machine A (192.168.1.5) Machine B (192.168.1.20)
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ Numa │ mDNS │ Numa │
│ services: │◄───────────►│ services: │
│ - api (port 8000) │ discovery │ - grafana (3000) │
│ - frontend (5173) │ │ │
│ - api (port 8000) │◄───────────►│ - grafana (3000) │
│ - frontend (5173) │ discovery │ │
└──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘
```
From Machine B:
```bash
dig @127.0.0.1 api.numa # → 192.168.1.5
curl http://api.numa # → proxied to Machine A's port 8000
```
From Machine B: `curl http://api.numa` → proxied to Machine A's port 8000. Enable with `numa lan on`.
Enable LAN discovery:
```bash
numa lan on
```
Or in `numa.toml`:
```toml
[lan]
enabled = true
```
Uses standard mDNS (`_numa._tcp.local` on port 5353) — compatible with Bonjour/Avahi, silently dropped by corporate firewalls instead of triggering IPS alerts.
**Hub mode** — don't want to install Numa on every machine? Run one instance as a shared DNS server and point other devices to it:
```bash
# On the hub machine, bind to LAN interface
[server]
bind_addr = "0.0.0.0:53"
# On other devices, set DNS to the hub's IP
# They get .numa resolution, ad blocking, caching — zero install
```
**Hub mode**: run one instance with `bind_addr = "0.0.0.0:53"` and point other devices' DNS to it — they get ad blocking + `.numa` resolution without installing anything.
## How It Compares
| | Pi-hole | AdGuard Home | NextDNS | Cloudflare | Numa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local service proxy | No | No | No | No | `.numa` + HTTPS + WS |
| Path-based routing | No | No | No | No | Prefix match + strip |
| LAN service discovery | No | No | No | No | mDNS, opt-in |
| Developer overrides | No | No | No | No | REST API + auto-expiry |
| Recursive resolver | No | No | Cloud only | Cloud only | From root hints, DNSSEC |
| Encrypted upstream (DoH) | No (needs cloudflared) | Yes | Cloud only | Cloud only | Native, single binary |
| Portable (travels with laptop) | No (appliance) | No (appliance) | Cloud only | Cloud only | Single binary |
| Zero config | Complex | Docker/setup | Yes | Yes | Works out of the box |
| Ad blocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited | 385K+ domains |
| Data stays local | Yes | Yes | Cloud | Cloud | 100% local |
| | Pi-hole | AdGuard Home | Unbound | Numa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local service proxy + auto TLS | — | — | — | `.numa` domains, HTTPS, WebSocket |
| LAN service discovery | — | — | — | mDNS, zero config |
| Developer overrides (REST API) | — | — | — | Auto-revert, scriptable |
| Recursive resolver | — | — | Yes | Yes, with SRTT selection |
| DNSSEC validation | — | — | Yes | Yes (RSA, ECDSA, Ed25519) |
| Ad blocking | Yes | Yes | — | 385K+ domains |
| Web admin UI | Full | Full | — | Dashboard |
| Encrypted upstream (DoH) | Needs cloudflared | Yes | — | Native |
| Portable (laptop) | No (appliance) | No (appliance) | Server | Single binary |
| Community maturity | 56K stars, 10 years | 33K stars | 20 years | New |
## How It Works
## Performance
```
Query → Overrides → .numa TLD → Blocklist → Local Zones → Cache → Recursive/Forward
```
691ns cached round-trip. ~2.0M qps throughput. Zero heap allocations in the hot path. Recursive queries average 237ms after SRTT warmup (12x improvement over round-robin). ECDSA P-256 DNSSEC verification: 174ns. [Benchmarks →](bench/)
Two resolution modes: **forward** (relay to upstream like Quad9/Cloudflare) or **recursive** (resolve from root nameservers — no upstream dependency). Set `mode = "recursive"` in `[upstream]` to resolve independently.
## Learn More
No DNS libraries — no `hickory-dns`, no `trust-dns`. The wire protocol — headers, labels, compression pointers, record types — is parsed and serialized by hand. Runs on `tokio` + `axum`, async per-query task spawning.
[Configuration reference](numa.toml)
- [Blog: Implementing DNSSEC from Scratch in Rust](https://numa.rs/blog/posts/dnssec-from-scratch.html)
- [Blog: I Built a DNS Resolver from Scratch](https://numa.rs/blog/posts/dns-from-scratch.html)
- [Configuration reference](numa.toml) — all options documented inline
- [REST API](src/api.rs) — 27 endpoints across overrides, cache, blocking, services, diagnostics
## Roadmap
- [x] DNS proxy core — forwarding, caching, local zones
- [x] Developer overrides — REST API with auto-expiry
- [x] Ad blocking — 385K+ domains, live dashboard, allowlist
- [x] System integration — macOS + Linux, launchd/systemd, Tailscale/VPN auto-discovery
- [x] Local service proxy — `.numa` domains, HTTP/HTTPS proxy, auto TLS, WebSocket
- [x] Path-based routing — URL prefix routing with optional strip, REST API
- [x] LAN service discovery — mDNS auto-discovery (opt-in), cross-machine DNS + proxy
- [x] DNS-over-HTTPS — encrypted upstream via DoH (Quad9, Cloudflare, any provider)
- [x] Recursive resolution — resolve from root nameservers, no upstream dependency
- [x] DNSSEC validation — chain-of-trust, NSEC/NSEC3 denial proofs, AD bit (RSA, ECDSA, Ed25519)
- [ ] pkarr integration — self-sovereign DNS via Mainline DHT (15M nodes)
- [ ] Global `.numa` names — self-publish, DHT-backed, first-come-first-served
- [x] DNS forwarding, caching, ad blocking, developer overrides
- [x] `.numa` local domains — auto TLS, path routing, WebSocket proxy
- [x] LAN service discovery — mDNS, cross-machine DNS + proxy
- [x] DNS-over-HTTPS — encrypted upstream
- [x] Recursive resolution + DNSSEC — chain-of-trust, NSEC/NSEC3
- [x] SRTT-based nameserver selection
- [ ] pkarr integration — self-sovereign DNS via Mainline DHT
- [ ] Global `.numa` names — DHT-backed, no registrar
## License