KNOTD(8)

📦
version 3.6.2 · 17 versions
, in opensuse-leap 16.0

👑 KNOTD(8) — the Knot DNS server daemon, bestie edition 👑

okay so real talk: knotd is the actual DNS server daemon from Knot DNS, and this page is from the Knot DNS manual, section 8. she's an authoritative DNS server and she's fast. like, high-performance fast. keep that in mind, it comes up. 💅

✨ NAME ✨

knotd — the Knot DNS server daemon. that's her. that's the whole name. iconic of her honestly 🎀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

knotd [config_option] [options]

that's it. one config_option (pick your lane), then whatever options you want. slay 🌈

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Knot DNS is a high-performance authoritative DNS server — no cap, that's literally what it is. and knotd? knotd is the DNS server daemon itself. the main character. the one doing the actual work while everyone else is just vibing 🫶

🧚 Config options 🧚

these are your "where do I even read my settings from" options. two of them. you got this.

  • -c, --config file — use a textual configuration file. the default is /etc/knot/knot.conf. classic. reliable. love her 💜
  • -C, --confdb directory — use a binary configuration database directory instead. the default is /var/lib/knot/confdb. and here's the vibe check: the default configuration database, if it exists, has a preference to the default configuration file. so like, if both are sitting there, the confdb wins. just so you know 👀

⭐ Options ⭐

the actual flags. the little levers. let's go one by one, no skipping, periodt.

  • -m, --max-conf-size MiB — sets the maximum size of the configuration database. default is 500 MiB, and the maximum you can ask for is 10000 MiB. size queen behaviour but make it config 🍓
  • -s, --socket path — use a remote control UNIX socket at this path. default is /run/knot//knot.sock. (yes, that's a double slash in there. that's not a typo, that's not me being messy, copy it exactly. iykyk 😭)
  • -d, --daemonize [directory] — run the server as a daemon. you may specify a new root directory, and the default is /. optional but dramatic, we love that for her 🌸
  • -v, --verbose — enable debug output. for when you really need to know what's going on in there. she's telling you everything 💀
  • -h, --help — print the program help. the "help me help you" option 🫶
  • -V, --version — print the program version. and here's the cute part: the option -VV makes the program print the compile time configuration summary. double V, double info. ate. 🔥

🦋 Signals 🦋

the knotd process handles the following signals, bestie, and each one gives a different energy:

  • SIGTERM or SIGINT — gracefully stop the process. polite. classy. she exits on her own terms 💅
  • SIGHUP — reload the server configuration and reopen configured log files. the "refresh, but make it official" signal ✨
  • SIGUSR1 — reload all configured zones. not recommended with catalog zones though — that's a real warning, don't come for me, I'm just the messenger 🙈

🌈 EXIT VALUES 🌈

Exit status of 0 means successful operation. any other exit status indicates an error. zero is the good number. everything else? something went sideways 😭

💀 SEE ALSO 💀

go read these too, they're all connected, it's a whole ecosystem:

knot.conf(5), knotc(8), keymgr(8), kjournalprint(8) 💖

👑 AUTHOR 👑

CZ.NIC, z.s.p.o. and contributors <https://www.knot-dns.cz/> — legends, all of them, fr fr 🌟

Copyright (C) CZ.NIC, z.s.p.o. and contributors 🫶

ok that's the whole page, you made it, i'm so proud of you 💜 now go configure something responsibly

kiss kiss, this was Knot DNS 3.6.2, dated 2026-10-21 — knotd(8), out. slay, bye 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from