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        <li class="main "><a href="#backends">Backends</a></li>
        
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<div class="alert alert-danger">This document is about PowerDNS 4.0. For other versions, please see the <a href="/">documentation index</a>.</div><br>

<h1 id="powerdns-authoritative-nameserver">PowerDNS Authoritative Nameserver</h1>
<p>The PowerDNS Authoritative Server is a versatile nameserver which supports a large number of backends. These backends can either be plain zone files or be more dynamic in nature.</p>
<p>Examples of backends include relational databases, other DNS data formats and coprocesses.</p>
<h1 id="backends">Backends</h1>
<p>PowerDNS has the concepts of 'backends'. A backend is a datastore that the server will consult that contains DNS records (and some meta-data).
The backends range from database backends (Mysql, PostgreSQL, Oracle) and Bind-zonefiles to co-processes and JSON API's.</p>
<p>Multiple backends can be enabled in the configuration by using the <a href="settings/#launch"><code>launch</code></a> option. Each backend can be configured separately.</p>
<h2 id="backend-capabilities">Backend Capabilities</h2>
<p>The following table describes the capabilities of the backends.</p>
<table class="table-bordered">
<thead>
<tr>
<th align="left">Name</th>
<th align="left">Status</th>
<th align="left">Native</th>
<th align="left">Master</th>
<th align="left">Slave</th>
<th align="left">Superslave</th>
<th align="left"><a href="backend-generic-sql/#autoserial">Autoserial</a></th>
<th align="left">DNSSEC</th>
<th align="left"><a href="backend-generic-sql/#disabled-data">Disabled Data</a></th>
<th align="left">Comments</th>
<th align="left">Launch Name</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-bind/">BIND</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Experimental</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No*</td>
<td align="left"><code>bind</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-generic-mysql/">Generic MySQL</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left"><code>gmysql</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-generic-odbc/">Generic ODBC</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left"><code>godbc</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-generic-oracle/">Generic Oracle</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left"><code>goracle</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-generic-postgresql/">Generic PostgreSQL</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left"><code>gpgsql</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-generic-sqlite/">Generic SQLite 3</a> 3</td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left"><code>gsqlite3</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-geoip/">GeoIP</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>geoip</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-ldap/">LDAP</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>ldap</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-mydns/">MyDNS</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>mydns</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-opendbx/">OpenDBX</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>opendbx</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-oracle/">Oracle</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>oracle</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-pipe/">Pipe</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">Partial (no delegation, no key storage)</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>pipe</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-random/">Random</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">Yes (no key storage)</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>random</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-remote/">Remote</a></td>
<td align="left">Supported</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes*</td>
<td align="left">Yes*</td>
<td align="left">Yes*</td>
<td align="left">Yes*</td>
<td align="left">Yes*</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>remote</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><a href="backend-tinydns/">TinyDNS</a></td>
<td align="left">Experimental</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">Yes</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left">No</td>
<td align="left"><code>tinydns</code></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*: Please read the backend-specific documentation.</p>
<h3 id="native-master-slave-superslave">Native, Master, Slave, Superslave</h3>
<p>Which <a href="modes-of-operation/">Mode of Operation</a> (DNS data replication) is supported.</p>
<h3 id="autoserial">Autoserial</h3>
<p>Can the backend <a href="backend-generic-sql/#autoserial">automatically</a> generate a SOA serial</p>
<h3 id="dnssec">DNSSEC</h3>
<p>Is serving DNSSEC signed data supported?</p>
<h3 id="disabled-data">Disabled Data</h3>
<p>Can a record be <a href="backend-generic-sql/#disabled-data">marked 'disabled'</a> and not be served but still be in the datastore?</p>
<h3 id="comments">Comments</h3>
<p>Are comments on records supported?</p></div>
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