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Executor Plugins

Executors perform work on the request path. Some read state, some mutate requests or responses, and some trigger side effects.

Core Policy Executors​

sequence​

The primary orchestration executor. Evaluates rules in order and dispatches to other executors based on match results.

forward​

Queries one or more upstream DNS servers.

fallback​

Builds controlled fallback chains or racing strategies across upstream groups.

cache​

Handles DNS cache reads and writes, including TTL-aware behavior and negative caching semantics.

Local Answer Executors​

hosts​

Returns answers from static host mappings.

arbitrary​

Builds synthetic records directly from config.

redirect​

Rewrites queries or redirects names to other targets.

Rewrite and Preference Executors​

ecs_handler​

Reads or rewrites EDNS Client Subnet related information.

forward_edns0opt​

Controls EDNS0 option forwarding behavior.

ttl​

Adjusts response TTLs.

prefer_ipv4 and prefer_ipv6​

Bias dual-stack results toward one IP family.

Control Flow Executors​

black_hole​

Absorbs requests without forwarding.

drop_resp​

Drops the response.

sleep​

Delays execution for testing or controlled pacing.

Observability Executors​

debug_print​

Prints request or response state for debugging.

query_summary​

Emits structured query summaries.

metrics_collector​

Collects metrics for operational dashboards and Prometheus-style exporters.

Integration Executors​

reverse_lookup​

Stores or uses reverse lookup information for later policy or diagnostics.

ipset​

Pushes response IPs into Linux ipset.

nftset​

Pushes response IPs into nftables sets.

mikrotik​

Synchronizes selected response results into MikroTik routing or address policies.

Guidance​

  • Keep sequence as the main coordination point.
  • Avoid placing expensive side effects early in the critical path unless needed.
  • Reuse shared datasets and upstream pools instead of duplicating logic in executor config.