BackendSide DNS Manager – Web-based authoritative DNS management for BIND

BackendSide DNS Manager is a self-hosted, web-based control panel for BIND 9. It manages authoritative zones, records, DNSSEC, webhooks, and import/export workflows — all through a clean dashboard and a complete REST API. No database is required: zones live as ordinary BIND zone files on disk, so your existing tooling and backups continue to work unchanged.

Self-hosted · No database: A single self-contained native binary running as a systemd service on your DNS server. The web UI and REST API are served from the same process and can listen over HTTP (port 8084) or HTTPS (port 8085) with your own certificate. Authentication is username/password (bcrypt) with JWT sessions; the REST API additionally accepts an X-API-Key header.
One-click install — from clean Linux server to working DNS in under a minute

You don't need to be a BIND expert. Install the .deb or .rpm on a clean Linux server and the package's professional installer takes care of everything — no manual editing of named.conf, no permission juggling, no chroot puzzles, no follow-up scripts.

In a single apt install or dnf install, the package will:

  • Install BIND 9 if it isn't already present, and configure it as an authoritative name server
  • Create a dedicated system user, the managed-zones directory, and the writable working directories with the right ownership and SELinux/AppArmor labels
  • Add a clean, isolated include line to your named.conf — so your existing BIND setup keeps working untouched
  • Generate a strong random API key, JWT signing secret, and config file at /etc/backendside-dns-manager/config.env
  • Install the systemd unit, open the service ports, and start everything — both the manager and BIND

Then just open http://<your-server>:8084 in a browser, the elegant first-run setup wizard creates your admin account, and you're managing zones, records, and DNSSEC from a clean web dashboard. Even a junior sysadmin can stand up a production DNS server in minutes — with none of the usual BIND configuration intimidation.

Linux

Download BackendSide DNS Manager v0.1.0 (Build 041) for Linux

Packages for Debian/Ubuntu (DEB) and RHEL-based distributions (RPM)

Distribution Package SHA256 Checksum
DEB Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 / Debian 12 and any Debian-based distro with systemd backendside-dns-manager_0.1.0_041_amd64.deb f1901fd573e65a72774a55af6609de276c5c20f95c662573f02be7742991186a
RPM RHEL 9 / 10 · AlmaLinux 9 / 10 · Rocky 9 / 10 · CentOS Stream 9 backendside-dns-manager_0.1.0_041_amd64.rpm e2f3a78e723639921394e1b46e64eea592ba7d43c5f4390eb6b6a44873829496
DEB Installation (Ubuntu / Debian) — one command, zero configuration
sudo apt install ./backendside-dns-manager_0.1.0_041_amd64.deb

That's it. The installer handles BIND 9 setup, system user, zone directories, named.conf include, API key & JWT secret generation, the systemd unit, and starts both services. Open http://<your-server-ip>:8084 and the setup wizard creates your admin account.

RPM Installation (RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky / CentOS) — one command, zero configuration
sudo dnf install ./backendside-dns-manager_0.1.0_041_amd64.rpm

That's it. The installer handles BIND 9 setup, system user, zone directories, named.conf include, API key & JWT secret generation, SELinux contexts, the systemd unit, and starts both services. Open http://<your-server-ip>:8084 and the setup wizard creates your admin account.

Compatible with existing BIND deployments: If BIND 9 is already installed and configured, the installer respects your setup — it adds a single include directive that loads only the manager's zones from /var/lib/backendside-dns-manager/zones/. Your existing zones, views, and ACLs are not modified.

Full REST API reference — build, automate, integrate

Every action in the web UI is also a documented JSON API call. Drive zones, records, DNSSEC, imports and bulk operations from CI, Terraform, monitoring, or your own scripts — with side-by-side cURL and PHP examples for every endpoint.

Read the API Reference

Features

  • Zone management: Create, edit, soft-delete, and bulk-operate on authoritative zones — with automatic SOA serial bumping
  • Record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (multi-string & long), NS, PTR, SRV, CAA — with per-record TTL and validation
  • DNSSEC: One-click sign/unsign per zone using BIND's KASP — KSK/CSK key tags and algorithm visible in the UI; keys stored under BIND's standard key directory
  • Import & export: Bulk import standard zone-file format; export individual zones or a tarball of all managed zones
  • Webhooks: Subscribe external systems to zone & record events with per-webhook event filters (created / updated / deleted / signed) and HMAC signing
  • REST API: Every UI action is also a documented JSON API call — authenticated via X-API-Key header or Bearer JWT token
  • Authentication: Username + password login with bcrypt hashing, 24-hour JWT sessions, and a first-run setup wizard
  • SSL / TLS: Optional HTTPS listener on port 8085 — upload your certificate or paste it from the settings page
  • Zero database: All state lives in BIND zone files and a small KEY=VALUE config file — trivial to back up, version, and audit
  • Single self-contained binary: Web UI and API are embedded in one native executable — no separate web server, no runtime dependencies, no language toolchain on the host
  • One-click installer: The .deb/.rpm postinstall configures BIND, generates secrets, installs the systemd unit, and starts everything — no manual steps
  • Runs as a systemd service: Starts automatically on boot, with logs in journalctl -u backendside-dns-manager
System Requirements:
OS: Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04, Debian 12, RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky 9 or 10, CentOS Stream 9 (x86_64)
BIND: 9.18 or later, installed on the same host
Ports: 8084 (HTTP) and optionally 8085 (HTTPS) reachable from your admin network
Self-hosted & private: BackendSide DNS Manager runs entirely on your own infrastructure. There is no SaaS component, no telemetry, and no outbound calls — your zone data never leaves your server.

Software Screenshots

Dashboard thumbnail
Zones list thumbnail
Records browser thumbnail
BIND configuration thumbnail