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Run zonemaster-cli example.com to check a DNS zone from a local Zonemaster-CLI installation. If your host or network cannot use IPv6, add --no-ipv6 so IPv6 connectivity problems do not produce misleading errors. You can also run the CLI in Docker, or narrow the check to a test level or case. The important part is to interpret each finding in the scope of the test that produced it.

Choose Docker or a local installation

Docker is a convenient route if it is already available on your system. A local installation avoids running the CLI in a container and is useful for repeated command-line work. Zonemaster’s installation instructions vary by operating system and installation method, so follow the current guide for your platform rather than assuming a particular Perl or OS version is supported.

Route When it fits What to account for
Docker Docker is already available and you want to run Zonemaster without a local dependency setup. Use the official image. If a run needs a local file, such as custom root-server hints, mount that file into the container and refer to its path inside the container.
Local installation You prefer a command installed on the host or do not want to use Docker. Follow the platform-specific installation route. The guide calls the pre-built package the preferred route for Debian and Ubuntu, and also documents CPAN installation; Rocky Linux and FreeBSD have separate instructions.

See Zonemaster’s CLI installation guide for current prerequisites and platform-specific steps. CPAN installations must account for Zonemaster::Engine and Zonemaster::LDNS dependencies; consult the project’s dependency instructions linked from that guide.

Check a local installation

After installing, run the documented sanity check and open the manual page:

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zonemaster-cli --test basic zonemaster.net
man zonemaster-cli

The installation guide says the test is expected to take a few seconds and return delegation results. Treat that as the guide’s expectation, not a guaranteed runtime for every system or network.

Run a full zone check

For a normal local run, provide the domain name:

zonemaster-cli example.com

If IPv6 is unavailable on the host or network, disable IPv6 for the check:

zonemaster-cli --no-ipv6 example.com

The documented Docker equivalent is:

docker run -t --rm zonemaster/cli example.com --no-ipv6

Omit --no-ipv6 when IPv6 is available and you want it tested. For the first Docker invocation in a session, the guide recommends adding --pull always if you want Docker to fetch the latest image; later runs can omit it for faster startup:

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docker run --pull always -t --rm zonemaster/cli example.com --no-ipv6

These are documented command forms; flags may need adjustment to match your network and whether you want IPv6 included. See the CLI usage guide for the current options.

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Understand the output before acting on it

Zonemaster prints results as test cases run. Messages include elapsed time, a severity level, and explanatory text. By default, the CLI reports NOTICE and higher severity. To include INFO messages, use --level=INFO; to show which test case generated a message, add --show-testcase:

zonemaster-cli --level=INFO --show-testcase example.com

The --raw and json output formats are available for more technical processing. For a brief option overview, run zonemaster-cli --help; for the full reference, use man zonemaster-cli.

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A message is evidence about the behavior checked by its named test case, not automatically proof that the entire zone is unreachable or broken. For instance, the ZONE01 specification checks whether the SOA MNAME plausibly identifies the master, is authoritative, appears in the zone’s NS set, and has an SOA serial at least as high as those found on the child zone name servers. Errors in this case are capped at NOTICE because MNAME is not used to find authoritative name servers for ordinary lookups. The case does not cover every SOA issue; other cases address syntax and consistency.

Run only the tests relevant to a problem

If you are investigating a particular symptom, a focused run can make the output easier to interpret. The CLI accepts a test level or a single test case:

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zonemaster-cli --test Connectivity example.com
zonemaster-cli --test Connectivity/connectivity03 example.com

Use zonemaster-cli --list_tests to see the available tests. For zone-content findings involving records such as SOA or MX, consult the Zone Test Plan and the specification for the particular case. It describes what each check evaluates, including SOA timing fields, master-name behavior, MX records, and SPF policy validation.

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Use custom root-server hints when needed

To replace the built-in root-server hints with a custom file, pass its path with --hints:

zonemaster-cli --hints /path/to/custom.hints example.com

In Docker, first mount the file as a volume, then give --hints the file’s in-container path. A path that exists only on the host will not be available inside the container unless it is mounted.

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Check proposed delegation data before changing it

An undelegated check lets you test proposed parent-side NS records, glue addresses, or DS records before changing the parent delegation. Supply the planned records with repeatable --ns and --ds options:

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zonemaster-cli 
  --ns ns1.example.com/192.0.2.10 
  --ns ns2.example.com/192.0.2.11 
  --ds 12345,3,1,0123456789abcdef 
  example.com

The NS value pairs a name with an IPv4 or IPv6 address; the DS value uses the fields keytag,algorithm,type,digest. The values above are illustrative only: replace them with the records you intend to publish. For this test, lookups for the parent are answered using the data you supplied, allowing the proposed child configuration to be checked before the live delegation changes.

You can also test a proposed DS record alone: provide the new --ds value and omit --ns to retain the parent’s NS data. See the CLI usage documentation for the full undelegated-test syntax.

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