{"id":15071,"library":"zone-file","title":"DNS Zone File Parser and Generator","description":"The `zone-file` package provides an RFC1035-compliant JavaScript library for both parsing and generating DNS zone files. It supports a comprehensive range of common DNS record types, including Start of Authority (SOA), Name Server (NS), A records (IPv4), AAAA records (IPv6), Canonical Name (CNAME), Mail Exchange (MX), Pointer (PTR), Service (SRV), Text (TXT), and Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) records, alongside the critical `$ORIGIN` keyword for defining the zone's base domain. The current and only stable version available on npm is 1.0.0, which was last published in January 2019. While the library itself is functional for its stated purpose, the lack of new releases under the `zone-file` npm package for several years, despite related code being developed under the `stacks-network/zone-file-js` GitHub repository, indicates that the specific npm package `zone-file` is effectively abandoned. Developers should be aware of this infrequent update cadence and consider potential alternatives for ongoing maintenance and feature support.","status":"abandoned","version":"1.0.0","language":"javascript","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/blockstack/zone-file-js","tags":["javascript","DNS","zone","zone file","zonefile","domain","domain name"],"install":[{"cmd":"npm install zone-file","lang":"bash","label":"npm"},{"cmd":"yarn add zone-file","lang":"bash","label":"yarn"},{"cmd":"pnpm add zone-file","lang":"bash","label":"pnpm"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"note":"The original `zone-file` v1.0.0 was primarily CommonJS. Modern Node.js projects should configure their environment for ESM. For older environments, use `require`.","wrong":"const { parseZone } = require('zone-file');","symbol":"parseZone","correct":"import { parseZone } from 'zone-file';"},{"note":"The `generate` function creates a zone file string from a JavaScript object. Ensure your environment supports ESM imports for newer syntax.","wrong":"const { generate } = require('zone-file');","symbol":"generate","correct":"import { generate } from 'zone-file';"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import { parseZone, generate } from 'zone-file';\n\nconst zoneFileContent = `\n$ORIGIN example.com.\n$TTL 3600\n@ IN SOA ns1.example.com. hostmaster.example.com. (\n  2023010101 ; Serial\n  7200       ; Refresh\n  3600       ; Retry\n  1209600    ; Expire\n  3600       ; Minimum TTL\n)\n@ IN NS ns1.example.com.\n@ IN NS ns2.example.com.\n@ IN A 192.0.2.1\nwww IN A 192.0.2.2\nmail IN MX 10 mail.example.com.\nmail IN A 192.0.2.3\n`;\n\ntry {\n  // Parse the zone file content into a JavaScript object\n  const parsedZone = parseZone(zoneFileContent);\n  console.log('Parsed Zone Object:');\n  console.log(JSON.stringify(parsedZone, null, 2));\n\n  // Add a new record to the parsed object\n  parsedZone.cname = parsedZone.cname || [];\n  parsedZone.cname.push({ name: 'blog', alias: 'www' });\n\n  // Generate a new zone file string from the modified object\n  const generatedZone = generate(parsedZone);\n  console.log('\\nGenerated Zone File with new CNAME record:');\n  console.log(generatedZone);\n\n} catch (error) {\n  console.error('Error processing zone file:', error.message);\n}\n","lang":"javascript","description":"This example demonstrates how to parse an existing DNS zone file string into a JavaScript object, modify the object by adding a new CNAME record, and then generate an updated zone file string."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Consider migrating to a more actively maintained DNS zone file parsing library if long-term support, security patches, or new features are required. Inspect `stacks-network/zone-file-js` for alternative distribution methods or package names.","message":"The `zone-file` npm package (v1.0.0) has not been updated since January 2019. While the underlying code may be developed under a different GitHub repository (`stacks-network/zone-file-js`), no new versions have been published to npm under this package name. This means it lacks recent bug fixes, performance improvements, and security updates.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"1.0.0"},{"fix":"Always validate generated or parsed zone files using external tools (e.g., `named-checkzone` from BIND, online validators) before deployment. Carefully review the input data structure for `generate` and the output of `parseZone`.","message":"Incorrectly formatted zone file input can lead to parsing errors or the generation of invalid DNS configurations, which can cause significant service disruptions. DNS zone files are highly sensitive to syntax, including trailing dots on FQDNs and correct record structures.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"},{"fix":"For CommonJS, use `const zonefile = require('zone-file'); const parsed = zonefile.parseZone(...);`. For ESM, ensure your `package.json` has `\"type\": \"module\"` or use a bundler configured for module resolution.","message":"The `zone-file` package uses CommonJS `require()` internally and exports functions for `import` in modern JavaScript environments. If using `require()` directly, ensure your environment is set up for CommonJS or that you destructure correctly.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"1.0.0"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[{"fix":"Review the `zoneFileContent` string for correct record types, hostnames (e.g., trailing dots for FQDNs), TTLs, and other DNS specific syntax. Use a DNS zone file validator to pinpoint the exact issue.","cause":"The input string provided to `parseZone` contains malformed DNS record entries or overall syntax errors according to RFC1035.","error":"Error: Invalid zone file syntax at line X: Y"},{"fix":"Ensure you are using the correct import statement: `import { parseZone, generate } from 'zone-file';` for ESM, or `const { parseZone, generate } = require('zone-file');` for CommonJS.","cause":"The module was imported incorrectly, or the `zonefile` variable does not properly reference the functions exported by the package.","error":"TypeError: zonefile.parseZone is not a function"}],"ecosystem":"npm"}