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theHarvester

Operator: theHarvester project (Christian Martorella; maintainers Matt Brown and Jay Townsend)

Locally installable OSINT tool for domains, hosts and email addresses, with a command line, its own web interface and a REST API.

Technical Infrastructure

Open website

Product

Open-source research tool for self-installation, with a command line, the HarvestView web interface and a REST API.

Availability and source date

Active

As of: 15 October 2026.

No functionality test has been performed.

Use in OSINT research

A domain or organisation serves as the starting point for infrastructure and contact findings from selected sources. Additional DNS and direct queries are separate features.

Queries

InputResultResult type
Domain / websiteDepending on the source: hostnames, email addresses, IP addresses, URLs, ASNs and leads concerning people and leaks.
Retrieved
Company / organisation nameDepending on the source: hostnames, email addresses, IP addresses, URLs, ASNs and leads concerning people and leaks.
Retrieved
Domain / websiteDNS responses and additional technical information from explicitly enabled queries.
Technical check according to provider

Features

  • Collects findings about domains and organisations from selected public sources.
  • Combines hostnames, email addresses and other result types.
  • Optionally adds DNS and direct technical queries.
  • Shows results and saved runs in HarvestView.
  • Exports data as JSONL, JSON, XML and SQLite.
  • Provides a local REST API for custom workflows.

Categories

  • Technical Infrastructure
  • Domains & WHOIS
  • DNS

Coverage

Dataset

Search engines, certificate transparency, DNS records, code repositories and other selectable services.

Access

Installation and deployment

Locally installable · Self-hosted

Locally through the command line or as a self-hosted HarvestView web interface. Installation from GitHub, as a Kali package or with Docker Compose.

Requirements

Self-installation, for example from GitHub, as a Kali package or with Docker Compose. Some data sources require their own API keys.

Export

JSONL, JSON, XML and SQLite; local REST API with its own key.

Provider

theHarvester project (Christian Martorella; maintainers Matt Brown and Jay Townsend)

Country of establishment

Unknown

Interfaces

API

Available. Its own REST API for local automation. Access uses an API key; requests start research and return results, exports and schedules.

MCP

Not documented. Not specified in the product documentation reviewed.

AI agents

Not documented. No explicitly documented AI agent integration. Custom integrations can use the REST API.

Maintenance

Licence

GPL-2.0-only

Latest activity

Commit 10/2026

Stars

approx. 18,000 (as of 15 October 2026)

Usage note

The program is licensed under GPL-2.0.

Limitations

  • Results and limits depend on the selected data sources.
  • DNS and direct-query features may trigger additional connections to the target.
  • The project is intended only for targets you own or are explicitly authorised to investigate.

Guides and practical reports

  • Official · theHarvester: installation and features

    theHarvester-Projekt · EN

    Provides an overview of installation, features and available data sources.

  • External · Kali Linux Tools: theHarvester

    Kali Linux / OffSec · 08/2026 · EN · Independence unclear

    Shows a CLI example and package installation; the documented version may differ from the repository.

Sources

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