NLnet Labs - About

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>NLnet Labs - About </title> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/extra/favicons/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/extra/favicons/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/extra/favicons/Mark-NLnet-Labs-180px.png" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/extra/favicons/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196" />  <meta name="description" content="With a dedicated team of eighteen employees, NLnet Labs develops free, liberally licensed, open-source software for DNS and BGP routing. We also perform research, develop standards and support the Internet community. Our work is funded by the Internet industry through donations, support contracts and paid feature development. 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href="/"> <img src="/static/logos/NLnetLabs/Logo_NLnet_Labs_cropped.svg" width="200" class="d-inline-block align-center img-fluid" alt="Home"> <span class="sr-only">NLnet Labs</span> </a> <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbarNavAltMarkup" aria-controls="navbarNavAltMarkup" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation"> <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span> </button> <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNavAltMarkup"> <div class="navbar-nav"> <div class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-item nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" role="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">Software</a> <div class="dropdown-menu"> <div class="sub-title">DNS</div> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/unbound/about/" > Unbound </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/nsd/about/" > NSD </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/ldns/about/" > ldns </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/domain/about/" > domain </a> <div class="sub-title">Routing</div> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/routing/krill/" > Krill </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/routing/routinator/" > Routinator </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/routing/rtrtr/" > RTRTR </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/projects/routing/rotonda/" > Rotonda </a> </div> </div> <div class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-item nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" role="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">Support</a> <div class="dropdown-menu"> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/support/software-support-policy/" > Support Policy </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/support/mailing-lists/" > Mailing Lists </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/support/security-advisories/" > Security Advisories </a> <div class="dropdown-divider"></div> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/services/contracts/" > Support Contracts </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/services/consultancy/" > Consultancy </a> </div> </div> <div class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-item nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" role="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">Documentation</a> <div class="dropdown-menu"> <div class="sub-title">DNS</div> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://unbound.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> Unbound </a> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://nsd.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> NSD </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/documentation/ldns/" > ldns </a> <div class="sub-title">Routing</div> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://krill.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> Krill </a> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://routinator.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> Routinator </a> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://rtrtr.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> RTRTR </a> <a class="dropdown-item external-link" href="https://rotonda.docs.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> Rotonda </a> </div> </div> <div class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-item nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" role="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">Community</a> <div class="dropdown-menu"> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/community/IETF" > Standardisation </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/community/operations" > Operations </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/community/policy" > Policy </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/community/presentations" > Presentations </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/community/publications" > Publications </a> </div> </div> <div class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-item nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" role="button" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">Research</a> <div class="dropdown-menu"> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/about/" > Research Vision </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/projects/" > Projects </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/collaborations/" > Collaborations </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/publications/" > Publications </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/student-projects" > Student Projects </a> <a class="dropdown-item " href="/research/other/" > Other Activities </a> </div> </div> <a class="nav-item nav-link " href="/about/" > About </a> <a class="nav-item nav-link " href="/sponsors/" > Sponsors </a> <a class="nav-item nav-link external-link" href="https://blog.nlnetlabs.nl/" target="_blank"> Blog </a> </div> <a href="/funding/" class="d-md-none donate-button">Support Us</a> </div> <a href="/funding/" class="d-none d-md-inline-block donate-button">Support Us</a> </nav> </header> <div class="container p-3 mt-3"> <div class="row "> <section id="content" class="col main-content"> <div class="m-0 p-0 mb-3"> <h1><small class="font-weight-bold">ABOUT</small></h1> <div class="border border-black page-title-underbar"></div> </div> <p class="lead">With a dedicated team of eighteen employees, NLnet Labs develops free, liberally licensed, open-source software for DNS and BGP routing. We also perform research, develop standards and support the Internet community. Our work is funded by the Internet industry through donations, support contracts and paid feature development.</p> <div class="section" id="lean-and-focused"> <h2>Lean and Focused</h2> <p>NLnet Labs as a non-profit organisation is a small, focused team with thirteen software engineers, two researchers, a technologist and two managers. With a flat organisation structure, it is a place where excellent engineers can do what they do best.</p> <p>Our mission is to make the core of the Internet a better, safer place by developing open-source software, through applied research and by promoting and contributing to open standards. There are at least two developers on every project, ensuring stability and continuity.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/organisation/">organisation</a>.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="financial-stability"> <h2>Financial Stability</h2> <p>All of our activities are funded by organisations in the Internet industry, who either support our mission and/or use our software. We are recognised by the Dutch tax authorities as a Public Benefit Organisation (Dutch: Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling or ANBI), which is the equivalent of a 501(c)(3) organisation in the USA.</p> <p>Dutch tax regulations allow us to have reserves that guarantee two years of continued operations in case all industry funding would disappear. Thus, in the unlikely event that NLnet Labs can no longer commit to maintaining our software projects, we will announce this at least two years in advance.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/funding/">funding model</a> and <a class="reference external" href="/support/software-support-policy/">software support policy</a>.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="beyond-software-engineering"> <h2>Beyond software engineering</h2> <div class="section" id="research"> <h3>Research</h3> <p>NLnet Labs sees the Internet as a constantly changing interplay of open standards, network operators and users. To keep the Internet viable, stable and secure, it is vital to understand how the Internet works and what effects changes in protocols and operational practices have. For this reason, NLnet Labs considers research into core Internet protocols to be an integral part of its mission.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/research/about/">research</a>.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="standards-development"> <h3>Standards Development</h3> <p>NLnet Labs actively contributes to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) with a co-chair position in the DNS Operations Working Group, as well as co-authoring several drafts and standards in the area of DNS and BGP routing.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/community/IETF/">standards work</a>.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="operations"> <h3>Operations</h3> <p>NLnet Labs is actively engaged within the operator and engineering communities. Our team members play an active role in workshops and working groups, making substantial contributions to the essential initiatives within these communities.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/community/operations/">work with the operator community</a>.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="policy"> <h3>Policy</h3> <p>NLnet Labs bridges technology and policy. We bring expertise to policy-making bodies, including governments, regulators and multi-stakeholder forums to help them achieve their policy goals in a way that is compatible with an open, secure, resilient and privacy respecting Internet. Conversely, we bring insights from the public sphere and from policy makers to our technical work.</p> <p>Learn more about our <a class="reference external" href="/community/policy/">policy work</a>.</p>  </div> </div> </section> <aside class="sidepanel"> <div class="sticky"><div class="section" id="read-more"> <h2>Read more</h2> <div class="line-block"> <div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="/history/">History</a></div> <div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="/careers/culture/">Careers</a></div> <div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="/people/">People</a></div> </div>  </div></div> </aside> </div> </div> <footer id="footer" class="mt-auto pt-3 pb-1 bg-black text-white border-top border-primary"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-sm-10 mb-3"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div class="col sr-only"><h2>Further navigation</h2></div> <div class="d-md-none col-12"> <nav> <ul class="list-inline"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/news/" >News</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/people/" >People</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/careers/culture/" >Careers</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/organisation/" >Our Organisation</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/conduct/" >Code of Conduct</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/privacy-and-cookie-statement/" >Privacy Statement</a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/security-report/" >Submit Security Report</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="d-none d-md-block col-12 col-md-3"> <nav> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li><a href="/news/" >News</a></li> <li><a href="/people/" >People</a></li> <li><a href="/careers/culture/" >Careers</a></li> <li><a href="/organisation/" >Our Organisation</a></li> <li><a href="/conduct/" >Code of Conduct</a></li> <li><a href="/privacy-and-cookie-statement/" >Privacy Statement</a></li> <li><a href="/security-report/" >Submit Security Report</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-3 mb-3 pt-1"> <a title="masdoton" rel="me" href="https://fosstodon.org/@nlnetlabs" aria-label="mastodon"><span class="fab fa-mastodon fa-2x"></span></a> <a title="github" href="https://github.com/NLnetLabs" aria-label="github"><span class="fab fa-github fa-2x"></span></a> <a title="docker" href="https://hub.docker.com/u/nlnetlabs/" aria-label="docker"><span class="fab fa-docker fa-2x"></span></a> <a title="linkedin" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/92855/" aria-label="linkedin"><span class="fab fa-linkedin fa-2x"></span></a> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-6"> <address> Stichting NLnet Labs <br /> Science Park 400, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands </address> <p> General contact address: <a href="mailto:labs@nlnetlabs.nl">labs@nlnetlabs.nl</a> <br /> For product support please use our <a href="/support/mailing-lists/">mailing lists.</a> </p> <p> NLnet Labs is a non-profit Public Benefit Organisation (<i>Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling</i> or ANBI). </p> </div> <div class="w-100"></div> <div class="col offset-md-6"> © 2025 Stichting NLnet Labs </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="to-the-top"> <a href="#"><img src="/static/icons/go_to_the_top.png" height="60" alt="go to the top"></a> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <script src="/theme/js/jquery-3.2.1.min.js"></script> <script src="/theme/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script> <script src="/static/js/analytics.js"></script> </body> </html>

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NLnet Labs - About