.nl RSSAC-002 datasets

DNS traffic statistics for .nl, in the same format the Root Servers use.

We publish public, aggregated data on the DNS traffic that reaches the authoritative name servers of .nl, the country-code top-level domain of the Netherlands. The data follows RSSAC-002, the standard the Root Servers use to report on their own traffic. That means you can compare .nl with the root directly, using the same tools.

First released 2026-10-25.

What we cover:

  • Metrics: four of the six RSSAC-002 metrics

  • Graphs: ready-made visualizations of the data

  • Files: the raw data files, also available on GitHub:

    git clone https://github.com/SIDN/nl-rssac002

  • Methodology: how we produce the data

Example: response codes over time

RCODE volume, all servers

FAQ

What is RSSAC-002?

A specification from ICANN's Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC). It defines the metrics that Root Server operators are advised to publish every day, such as traffic volume, response codes and the number of unique sources. The current version is RSSAC002v5.

Root operators publish these as small YAML files. You can browse them in the RSSAC002-data archive or on the RSSAC002 dashboard.

Why publish this for .nl?

The Root Servers have shared this data for years, and there is no reason a ccTLD can't do the same (or any other TLD). Using the same format lets anyone compare the root with .nl, and lets other operators compare their numbers with ours. We share it in the spirit of open science.

You don't run a Root Server. Why use the name RSSAC-002?

Because we follow its format and terminology on purpose. Identical files can be read with the same tools and compared directly with the root data, with no conversion. The name refers to the format, not to who runs the servers.

How are the files generated?

With an open-source tool that runs on ENTRADA, our open-source DNS data warehouse. Any ENTRADA user can deploy it to produce the same files for their own DNS servers.

The tool is a fork of the original RSSAC002-TLD Metrics Generator on Codeberg, with some changes for .nl. The original was built by computer science bachelor students at TU Delft as part of their Software Project course. Many thanks to them. See Methodology for details.

Who is this data for?

  • Researchers studying DNS behavior and long-term trends. We have used the Root Servers' RSSAC-002 data ourselves, in a peer-reviewed paper on how anycast held up during a DDoS attack on the Root Servers.
  • Operators who want to compare their own traffic with a large ccTLD and with the root.

Contact

  • Reach out to us at sidnlabs @ sidn.nl

Last update: 2026-10-25