BindCaptain

Welcome to BindCaptain - Take command of your DNS infrastructure with captain-grade precision.

Getting Started

Quick Start Guide - Get up and running in minutes
System Requirements - Supported distributions and manual setup
Installation Guide - Complete setup and configuration
Manual Setup - Setup for unsupported Linux distributions

User Guides

Configuration Management - DNS zone and record management
Container Management - Building, running, and managing containers
DNS Operations - Creating, updating, and managing DNS records
Systemd Integration - Service management and automation
Chief Remote Plugin - Optional: control BindCaptain remotely via Chief over SSH
Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Advanced Topics

Architecture - How BindCaptain works internally
Security - Security best practices and hardening
Backup & Restore - Data protection and recovery
Performance Tuning - Optimization and monitoring
Integration - Working with other tools and systems

Reference

Script Reference - Complete command reference for all scripts
Configuration Reference - All configuration options
API Reference - Container and service APIs
Changelog - Version history and changes

Development

Contributing - How to contribute to BindCaptain
Development Setup - Setting up development environment
Testing - Running tests and validation
Code Style - Coding standards and guidelines

Quick Start

New to BindCaptain? Start here:

System Requirements - Check compatibility and prerequisites
Installation Guide - Complete setup and configuration
Quick Start Guide - Get your first DNS zone running
DNS Operations - Learn to manage DNS records

Quick Examples

Complete Setup (Supported Distributions)

# 1. Clone BindCaptain
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/bindcaptain.git
cd bindcaptain

# 2. System setup (one-time)
sudo ./tools/system-setup.sh

# 3. Configure DNS zones
sudo ./tools/config-setup.sh wizard

# 4. Build and run container
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh build
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh run

# 5. Manage DNS records (Chief plugin — works locally and remotely)
source /opt/bindcaptain/chief-plugin/bc_chief-plugin.sh
bc.create webserver.example.com 192.168.1.100

Manual Setup (Unsupported Distributions)

# 1. Install prerequisites manually
# See manual-setup.md for your distribution

# 2. Configure DNS zones
sudo ./tools/config-setup.sh wizard

# 3. Build and run container
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh build
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh run

DNS Management

BindCaptain ships two bc.* surfaces: the Chief plugin (operator-facing wrappers — bc.create, bc.update, bc.delete, bc.list, bc.refresh, bc.sync_ptr) and the in-container manager (low-level primitives — bc.create_record, bc.create_cname, bc.create_txt, bc.delete_record, bc.list_records). For day-to-day use, prefer the Chief plugin — it works the same locally on the DNS host and remotely from a workstation. See DNS Operations and Chief Remote Plugin for details.

# Load the Chief plugin (BC_HOST unset = local mode on the DNS host)
source /opt/bindcaptain/chief-plugin/bc_chief-plugin.sh

# Create DNS records (only A, CNAME, TXT supported for writes)
bc.create webserver.example.com 192.168.1.100
bc.create mail.example.com      192.168.1.101
bc.create CNAME www.example.com webserver

# List and manage records
bc.list example.com
bc.update webserver.example.com 192.168.1.200
bc.delete webserver.example.com

# Validate + reload BIND
bc.refresh

Supported Distributions

Distribution	Support	Setup Method
RHEL 8/9	✅ Full	`system-setup.sh`
CentOS 8/9	✅ Full	`system-setup.sh`
Rocky Linux 8/9	✅ Full	`system-setup.sh`
AlmaLinux 8/9	✅ Full	`system-setup.sh`
Fedora 35+	✅ Full	`system-setup.sh`
Ubuntu/Debian	⚠️ Manual	See Manual Setup
Arch Linux	⚠️ Manual	See Manual Setup
Others	⚠️ Manual	See Manual Setup

Core Features

🎯 Container-First - Runs BIND in Podman containers for isolation
⚡ Quick Setup - Automated system setup for supported distributions
🔧 Easy Management - Interactive DNS record management
🛡️ Security Focused - SELinux, firewalld, and security best practices
📊 Monitoring Ready - Built-in logging and health checks
🔄 Auto-Reload - Automatic BIND configuration reload on changes
📝 Template Driven - Easy zone file generation from templates

Project Structure

bindcaptain/
├── bindcaptain.sh              # Main container management script
├── chief-plugin/               # Optional Chief plugin for remote control
│   ├── bc_chief-plugin.sh     # Source in Chief to control remote BindCaptain
│   └── README.md
├── tools/                      # Management and setup tools
│   ├── common.sh              # Shared utilities library
│   ├── system-setup.sh        # System preparation (supported distros)
│   ├── config-setup.sh        # DNS configuration management
│   └── bindcaptain_manager.sh # DNS management (bc.*); run 'refresh' or source for bc.help
├── config-examples/            # Configuration templates
├── docs/                      # Comprehensive documentation
└── tests/                     # Test suite

Common Operations

# Container lifecycle
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh build     # Build container image
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh run       # Start container
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh stop      # Stop container
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh status    # Check status

# DNS management — Chief plugin (recommended)
source /opt/bindcaptain/chief-plugin/bc_chief-plugin.sh
bc.help                       # Show all bc.* commands
bc.create --help              # Per-command help
bc.list                       # List records (all zones)
bc.refresh                    # Validate zones and reload BIND

# System management
sudo ./tools/system-setup.sh    # One-time system setup
sudo ./tools/config-setup.sh    # Configure DNS zones

Prerequisites

Essential requirements:

Linux with Podman support
Root access for system setup and container management
Network access for DNS resolution
Storage for configuration and zone files

Complete Prerequisites Guide

How It Works

BindCaptain uses:

Container isolation - BIND runs in Podman containers
Template-driven config - Easy zone file generation
Interactive management - User-friendly DNS record operations
Auto-reload - Configuration changes applied automatically
Security hardening - SELinux, firewalld, and best practices

BindCaptain - Take command of your DNS infrastructure

GitHub: https://github.com/yourusername/bindcaptain