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DNS Server

Technitium DNS Server is an open source, authoritative and recursive DNS (Domain Name System) server that lets you self-host a private resolver to block ads…

  • Network Services
  • Tools & Utilities
Technitium DNS Server is an open source, authoritative and recursive DNS (Domain Name System) server that lets you self-host a private resolver to block ads and malware at the DNS level across your whole network. It runs with little or no configuration and includes a user-friendly web console in any modern browser, making it well suited to homelabbers and software developers who want a local DNS server for privacy, security, or experimentation.

Platform availability

Available on 4 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox
  • Helm
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

84/100 Excellent

Maintained
100last commit 12 days ago
Popular
8010,072 GitHub stars
Easy to install
553 install platforms, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 15 days ago

GitHub stars
10,072
Open issues
152
Last commit
2026-10-03
Latest release
v15.6.0
License
GPL-3.0
Activity
rising

Checked 8 days ago - source: GitHub (TechnitiumSoftware/DnsServer)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 17 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Install the base Azure helper first Install the general Azure PowerShell helper (Az) before the Az.DnsResolver add-on for managing private name resolution; skipping it can make those DNS commands fail. source
  • Point PowerShell to the right local folder If you're installing from a local folder, set the local PowerShell repository path to the exact folder containing the module files, then check that Az.DnsResolver is listed; a wrong path means PowerShell cannot find the DNS helper. source
  • Save a DNS zone file before changes Before changing DNS records, export the zone to a .txt file and keep that file in a safe place; if a record is accidentally deleted or mistyped, you can use that file to restore the DNS configuration. source
  • Environment variables Before deploying, review the Docker Compose file for the supported environment variables that configure the DNS server's behaviour. source
  • First Install Start with defaults; manage settings through the web console in a browser. source

Fetched 8 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (10)

  • AdAway - An ad blocker that uses the hosts file.
  • AdBlock - Blocks intrusive ads, boosts browser speed, and prevents tracking across all major browsers; supports customizable filters, Acceptable Ads,…
  • Blokada - Blokada is the popular ad blocker and privacy app for Android and iOS.
  • DHCP Server for Windows - A DHCP Server assigns IP addresses to client computers.
  • Pi-hole - Pi-hole is a network-level Domain Name System (DNS) sinkhole that blocks Internet advertisements and tracking domains.
  • Privoxy - Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, co…
  • YogaDNS - YogaDNS automatically intercepts DNS requests at the system level and allows you to process them over user-defined DNS servers using modern…
  • coredns - CoreDNS is a flexible, plugin-based DNS server and forwarder that chains plugins for service discovery, metrics, query rewriting, and zone…
  • dnsmasq - Dnsmasq is a lightweight Domain Name System (DNS) forwarder and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server designed for small to med…
  • hBlock - hBlock is a POSIX-compliant shell script, designed for Unix-like systems, that gets a list of domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and…

Checked 14 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Can Technitium DNS Server use SSO for its web console?

Yes, it supports single sign-on with OpenID Connect and also supports LDAP authentication.

Can multiple Technitium DNS Server instances be managed from one console?

Yes, the built-in clustering feature allows managing two or more instances from a single admin web console.

Which transport protocols are supported for DNS-over-HTTPS?

The DNS-over-HTTPS implementation supports HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 transport protocols.

How often are blocked zones updated from block-list URLs?

Blocked zones are updated from one or more block-list URLs automatically every 24 hours.

Answers sourced from github.com, technitium.com

Community

Collected 2 days ago - public community threads