diff --git a/bin/check/check-tool.c b/bin/check/check-tool.c
index 5f00121d26..38387b172b 100644
--- a/bin/check/check-tool.c
+++ b/bin/check/check-tool.c
@@ -695,8 +695,13 @@ load_zone(isc_mem_t *mctx, const char *zonename, const char *filename,
 	CHECK(dns_name_fromtext(origin, &buffer, dns_rootname, 0, NULL));
 	CHECK(dns_zone_setorigin(zone, origin));
 	dns_zone_setdbtype(zone, 1, (const char *const *)dbtype);
-	CHECK(dns_zone_setfile(zone, filename, fileformat,
-			       &dns_master_style_default));
+	if (strcmp(filename, "-") == 0) {
+		CHECK(dns_zone_setstream(zone, stdin, fileformat,
+					 &dns_master_style_default));
+	} else {
+		CHECK(dns_zone_setfile(zone, filename, fileformat,
+				       &dns_master_style_default));
+	}
 	if (journal != NULL) {
 		CHECK(dns_zone_setjournal(zone, journal));
 	}
diff --git a/bin/check/named-checkzone.c b/bin/check/named-checkzone.c
index e50f84e0d2..4b15bd02b2 100644
--- a/bin/check/named-checkzone.c
+++ b/bin/check/named-checkzone.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <isc/app.h>
 #include <isc/commandline.h>
 #include <isc/dir.h>
+#include <isc/file.h>
 #include <isc/hash.h>
 #include <isc/log.h>
 #include <isc/mem.h>
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ usage(void) {
 		"[-i (full|full-sibling|local|local-sibling|none)] "
 		"[-M (ignore|warn|fail)] [-S (ignore|warn|fail)] "
 		"[-W (ignore|warn)] "
-		"%s zonename filename\n",
+		"%s zonename [ (filename|-) ]\n",
 		prog_name,
 		progmode == progmode_check ? "[-o filename]" : "-o filename");
 	exit(1);
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ int
 main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	int c;
 	char *origin = NULL;
-	char *filename = NULL;
+	const char *filename = NULL;
 	isc_log_t *lctx = NULL;
 	isc_result_t result;
 	char classname_in[] = "IN";
@@ -512,7 +513,8 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
 		logdump = false;
 	}
 
-	if (isc_commandline_index + 2 != argc) {
+	if (argc - isc_commandline_index < 1 ||
+	    argc - isc_commandline_index > 2) {
 		usage();
 	}
 
@@ -529,7 +531,16 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	dns_result_register();
 
 	origin = argv[isc_commandline_index++];
-	filename = argv[isc_commandline_index++];
+
+	if (isc_commandline_index == argc) {
+		/* "-" will be interpreted as stdin */
+		filename = "-";
+	} else {
+		filename = argv[isc_commandline_index];
+	}
+
+	isc_commandline_index++;
+
 	result = load_zone(mctx, origin, filename, inputformat, classname,
 			   maxttl, &zone);
 
@@ -563,5 +574,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
 #ifdef _WIN32
 	DestroySockets();
 #endif /* ifdef _WIN32 */
+
 	return ((result == ISC_R_SUCCESS) ? 0 : 1);
 }
diff --git a/lib/dns/include/dns/zone.h b/lib/dns/include/dns/zone.h
index f209e95bf0..80ccb22979 100644
--- a/lib/dns/include/dns/zone.h
+++ b/lib/dns/include/dns/zone.h
@@ -295,6 +295,23 @@ dns_zone_getfile(dns_zone_t *zone);
  *\li	Pointer to null-terminated file name, or NULL.
  */
 
+isc_result_t
+dns_zone_setstream(dns_zone_t *zone, const FILE *stream,
+		   dns_masterformat_t format, const dns_master_style_t *style);
+/*%<
+ *    Sets the source stream from which the zone will load its database.
+ *
+ * Requires:
+ *\li	'zone' to be a valid zone.
+ *\li	'stream' to be a valid and open FILE *.
+ *\li	'zone->masterfile' to be NULL, since we should load data either from
+ *	'stream' or from a master file, but not both.
+ *
+ * Returns:
+ *\li	#ISC_R_NOMEMORY
+ *\li	#ISC_R_SUCCESS
+ */
+
 void
 dns_zone_setmaxrecords(dns_zone_t *zone, uint32_t records);
 /*%<
diff --git a/lib/dns/win32/libdns.def.in b/lib/dns/win32/libdns.def.in
index 83d750cb03..38ee1a123a 100644
--- a/lib/dns/win32/libdns.def.in
+++ b/lib/dns/win32/libdns.def.in
@@ -1351,6 +1351,7 @@ dns_zone_setssutable
 dns_zone_setstatistics
 dns_zone_setstatlevel
 dns_zone_setstats
+dns_zone_setstream
 dns_zone_settask
 dns_zone_settype
 dns_zone_setupdateacl
diff --git a/lib/dns/zone.c b/lib/dns/zone.c
index a7d11e8192..b0161c3311 100644
--- a/lib/dns/zone.c
+++ b/lib/dns/zone.c
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ struct dns_zone {
 	isc_refcount_t irefs;
 	dns_name_t origin;
 	char *masterfile;
+	const FILE *stream;		     /* loading from a stream? */
 	ISC_LIST(dns_include_t) includes;    /* Include files */
 	ISC_LIST(dns_include_t) newincludes; /* Loading */
 	unsigned int nincludes;
@@ -986,6 +987,7 @@ dns_zone_create(dns_zone_t **zonep, isc_mem_t *mctx) {
 	zone->strrdclass = NULL;
 	zone->strviewname = NULL;
 	zone->masterfile = NULL;
+	zone->stream = NULL;
 	ISC_LIST_INIT(zone->includes);
 	ISC_LIST_INIT(zone->newincludes);
 	zone->nincludes = 0;
@@ -1672,6 +1674,7 @@ dns_zone_setfile(dns_zone_t *zone, const char *file, dns_masterformat_t format,
 	isc_result_t result = ISC_R_SUCCESS;
 
 	REQUIRE(DNS_ZONE_VALID(zone));
+	REQUIRE(zone->stream == NULL);
 
 	LOCK_ZONE(zone);
 	result = dns_zone_setstring(zone, &zone->masterfile, file);
@@ -1694,6 +1697,27 @@ dns_zone_getfile(dns_zone_t *zone) {
 	return (zone->masterfile);
 }
 
+isc_result_t
+dns_zone_setstream(dns_zone_t *zone, const FILE *stream,
+		   dns_masterformat_t format, const dns_master_style_t *style) {
+	isc_result_t result = ISC_R_SUCCESS;
+
+	REQUIRE(DNS_ZONE_VALID(zone));
+	REQUIRE(stream != NULL);
+	REQUIRE(zone->masterfile == NULL);
+
+	LOCK_ZONE(zone);
+	zone->stream = stream;
+	zone->masterformat = format;
+	if (format == dns_masterformat_text) {
+		zone->masterstyle = style;
+	}
+	result = default_journal(zone);
+	UNLOCK_ZONE(zone);
+
+	return (result);
+}
+
 dns_ttl_t
 dns_zone_getmaxttl(dns_zone_t *zone) {
 	REQUIRE(DNS_ZONE_VALID(zone));
@@ -2175,8 +2199,10 @@ zone_load(dns_zone_t *zone, unsigned int flags, bool locked) {
 	     (zone->type == dns_zone_redirect && zone->masters != NULL)) &&
 	    rbt)
 	{
-		if (zone->masterfile == NULL ||
-		    !isc_file_exists(zone->masterfile)) {
+		if (zone->stream == NULL &&
+		    (zone->masterfile == NULL ||
+		     !isc_file_exists(zone->masterfile)))
+		{
 			if (zone->masterfile != NULL) {
 				dns_zone_logc(zone, DNS_LOGCATEGORY_ZONELOAD,
 					      ISC_LOG_DEBUG(1),
@@ -2221,7 +2247,7 @@ zone_load(dns_zone_t *zone, unsigned int flags, bool locked) {
 	}
 
 	if (!dns_db_ispersistent(db)) {
-		if (zone->masterfile != NULL) {
+		if (zone->masterfile != NULL || zone->stream != NULL) {
 			result = zone_startload(db, zone, loadtime);
 		} else {
 			result = DNS_R_NOMASTERFILE;
@@ -2643,11 +2669,21 @@ zone_startload(dns_db_t *db, dns_zone_t *zone, isc_time_t loadtime) {
 			zone_idetach(&callbacks.zone);
 			return (result);
 		}
-		result = dns_master_loadfile(
-			zone->masterfile, &zone->origin, &zone->origin,
-			zone->rdclass, options, 0, &callbacks,
-			zone_registerinclude, zone, zone->mctx,
-			zone->masterformat, zone->maxttl);
+
+		if (zone->stream != NULL) {
+			FILE *stream = NULL;
+			DE_CONST(zone->stream, stream);
+			result = dns_master_loadstream(
+				stream, &zone->origin, &zone->origin,
+				zone->rdclass, options, &callbacks, zone->mctx);
+		} else {
+			result = dns_master_loadfile(
+				zone->masterfile, &zone->origin, &zone->origin,
+				zone->rdclass, options, 0, &callbacks,
+				zone_registerinclude, zone, zone->mctx,
+				zone->masterformat, zone->maxttl);
+		}
+
 		tresult = dns_db_endload(db, &callbacks);
 		if (result == ISC_R_SUCCESS) {
 			result = tresult;