Unveiling a story of innovation. NLnet Labs stands as a testament to the power of open-source collaboration. Founded in 1999 by NLnet’s board members and Ted Lindgreen, NLnet Labs emerged from the NLnet Foundation. The foundation’s core mission supports independent organizations. These organizations contribute to an open information society.
NLnet’s history stretches back to 1982. Teus Hagen announced a major initiative by the European Unix Users Group. This initiative aimed to develop network services in Europe under the name EUnet. NLnet was the main node of EUnet. It operated out of the Dutch center for mathematics and computer science CWI. NLnet played a vital role in spreading UUCP and ARPAnet throughout Europe.
In 1997, NLnet sold its commercial networking operations to UUNET. This resulted in an endowment. NLnet then transformed into a grant-making organization. It funded the development of Internet technology and associated research.
NLnet Labs started with DNSSEC implementation. In 2001, the RIPE NCC asked NLnet Labs to develop a DNS implementation. This implementation would be for root servers. It could not contain code from existing software. This marked the start of NSD. NSD is the authoritative nameserver package.
NLnet Labs also developed Unbound. Unbound is a validating caching resolver. They also worked on the OpenDNSSEC project. NLnet Labs and the Internet Systems Consortium sent a joint letter in 2023. They appealed for fairness for non-profit developers of open-source software. The EU Cyber Resilience Act focused on commercial entities. The organizations argued that non-profit distribution should not be considered commercial activity.
NLnet Labs operates independently with developers and researchers. They are funded by organizations who rely on their software. NLnet Labs is committed to open-source principles. Their software remains open-source with a liberal license. They guarantee maintenance of their software for at least two years.
NLnet Labs develops DNS-related software. This includes NSD, Unbound, OpenDNSSEC, and getDNS. In 2007, NLnet Labs began work on Unbound. They collaborated with Nominet, Verisign, and Kirei. They built a C implementation. It was based on Verisign and Nominet’s Java package.
NLnet Labs joined the OpenDNSSEC project in 2008. They supplied elements carrying DNS intelligence. NLnet Labs became the sole maintainer of the project. In 2017, NLnet Labs focused on inter-domain routing software. They used the Rust programming language. They developed a Resource Public Key Infrastructure toolset. This toolset helps prevent BGP hijacking. It includes Krill, Routinator, and RTRTR. The JDR service launched in 2020 to analyze the RPKI.
NLnet Labs’s commitment to open-source is clear. It is a beacon for those dedicated to a safer Internet. NLnet Labs continues to shape the Internet’s infrastructure.