---
name: "namebench"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "namebench"
version: "1.3.1+dfsg-2"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/namebench"
---

# namebench(1)

open-source DNS benchmark utility

## NAME

namebench - open-source DNS benchmark utility

## SYNOPSIS

**namebench \[nameserver1 ... \[nameserverN\]\]**

## DESCRIPTION

namebench searches the fastest DNS servers available for your computer to use. namebench runs a fair and thorough benchmark using your web browser history, tcpdump output, or standardized datasets in order to provide an individualized recommendation.

## OPTIONS

This program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (-). A summary of options is included below.  For a complete description, see the README file or visit the project's website.

- **-h, --help**

  Show summary of options.

- **-r** *RUN\_COUNT,* **--runs=***RUN\_COUNT*

  Number of test runs to perform on each nameserver.

- **-z** *CONFIG,* **--config=***CONFIG*

  Configuration file to use.

- **-o** *OUTPUT\_FILE,* **--output=***OUTPUT\_FILE*

  Filename to write output to.

- **-t** *TEMPLATE,* **--template=***TEMPLATE*

  Template to use for output generation (ascii, html, resolv.conf).

- **-c** *CSV\_FILE,* **--csv\_output=***CSV\_FILE*

  Filename to write query details to (CSV).

- **-j** *HEALTH\_THREAD\_COUNT,* **--threads=***HEALTH\_THREAD\_COUNT*

  Number of health check threads to use.

- **-J** *BENCHMARK\_THREAD\_COUNT,* **--threads=***BENCHMARK\_THREAD\_COUNT*

  Number of benchmark threads to use.

- **-P** *PING\_TIMEOUT,* **--ping\_timeout=***PING\_TIMEOUT*

  Number of seconds ping requests timeout in.

- **-y** *TIMEOUT,* **--timeout=***TIMEOUT*

  Number of seconds general requests timeout in.

- **-Y** *HEALTH\_TIMEOUT,* **--health\_timeout=***HEALTH\_TIMEOUT*

  Health check timeout (in seconds).

- **-i** *INPUT\_SOURCE,* **--import=***INPUT\_SOURCE*

  Import hostnames from an filename or application (alexa, cachehit, cachemiss, cachemix, camino, chrome, chromium, epiphany, firefox, flock, galeon, icab, internet\_explorer, konqueror, midori, omniweb, opera, safari, seamonkey, squid, sunrise).

- **-I, --invalidate\_cache**

  Force health cache to be invalidated.

- **-q** *QUERY\_COUNT,* **--tests=***QUERY\_COUNT*

  Number of queries per run.

- **-m** *SELECT\_MODE,* **--select\_mode=***SELECT\_MODE*

  Selection algorithm to use (weighted, random, chunk).

- **-s** *NUM\_SERVERS,* **--num\_servers=***NUM\_SERVERS*

  Number of nameservers to include in test.

- **-S, --system\_only**

  Only test the currently configured system nameservers.

- **-w, --open\_webbrowser**

  Opens the final report in your browser.

- **-u, --upload\_results**

  Upload anonmyized results to SITE\_URL (default: False).

- **-U** *SITE\_URL,* **--site\_url=***SITE\_URL*

  URL to upload results to (default: *http://namebench.appspot.com/*).

- **-H, --hide\_results**

  Upload results, but keep them hidden from indexes.

- **-x, --no\_gui**

  Disable GUI.

- **-C, --enable-censorship-checks**

  Enable censorship checks.

- **-6, --ipv6\_only**

  Only include IPv6 name servers.

- **-O, --only**

  Only test nameservers passed as arguments.

## COPYRIGHT

This manual page was written by Miguel Landaeta \<*miguel@miguel.cc*\> for the Debian system (but may be used by others). Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the terms of GNU General Public License, Version 2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL.

## SEE ALSO

**[dig(1)](/dig/1.md)**, **[host(1)](/host/1.md)**.

## AUTHOR

Thomas Strömberg \<tstromberg@google.com\>