---
name: "nsscache"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nsscache"
version: "0.49-5"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nsscache"
---

# nsscache(1)

synchronise a local NSS cache with an upstream data source

## NAME

nsscache - synchronise a local NSS cache with an upstream data source

## SYNOPSIS

**nsscache** \[*global options*\] *command* \[*command options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**nsscache** synchronises a local NSS cache against a remote data source. This approach allows the administrator to separate the network from the NSS lookup codepath, improving speed and reliability of name services.

## OPTIONS

Global options alter general program behaviour:

- **-v**, **--verbose**

  enable verbose output

- **-d**, **--debug**

  enable debugging output

- **-c** *FILE*, **--config-file**=*FILE*

  read configuration from FILE

- **--version**

  show program's version number and exit

- **-h**, **--help**

  show this help message and exit

## COMMANDS

### update

Performs an update of the configured caches from the configured sources.

- **-f**, **--full**

  force a full update from the data source

- **--force**

  force the update, overriding any safeguards and checks that would otherwise prevent the update from occurring. e.g. normally empty results from the data source are ignored as bogus -- this option will instruct the program to ignore its intuition and use the empty map

- **-m** *MAPS*, **--map**=*MAPS*

  NSS map to operate on, can be supplied multiple times

- **-h**, **--help**

  show help for the **update** command

### verify

Perform verification of the built caches and validation of the system NSS configuration.

- **-m** *MAPS*, **--map**=*MAPS*

  NSS map to operate on, can be supplied multiple times

- **-h**, **--help**

  show help for the **verify** command

### status

Show the last update time of each configured cache, and other metrics, optionally in a machine-readable format.

- **-m** *MAPS*, **--map**=*MAPS*

  NSS map to operate on, can be supplied multiple times

- **-h**, **--help**

  show help for the **status** command

### repair

Verify that the configuration is correct, that the source is reachable, then perform a full synchronisation of the cache.

- **-m** *MAPS*, **--map**=*MAPS*

  NSS map to operate on, can be supplied multiple times

- **-h**, **--help**

  show help for the **repair** command

### help

Shows online help for each command.

## SEE ALSO

- [*nsscache.conf*(5)](/nsscache.conf/5.md)

  - [*nsswitch.conf*(5)](/nsswitch.conf/5.md)

  ## FILES

- */etc/nsscache.conf*

  The system-wide configuration file

- */etc/nsswitch.conf*

  The system name service switch configuration file

## AUTHOR

Written by Jamie Wilkinson (jaq@google.com) and Vasilios Hoffman (vasilios@google.com).

- The source code lives at https://github.com/google/nsscache

  ## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2007 Google, Inc.\
 This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.