RouteDNS

A DNS stub resolver, proxy and router with blocklists and DoT, DoH, DoQ and DTLS support.

FreeProprietaryLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line
Official websitegithub.com

These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.

About RouteDNS

RouteDNS is a DNS stub resolver, proxy and router written in Go. It accepts queries and forwards them to upstream resolvers over plain DNS, DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over QUIC or DTLS. Routing rules decide which queries go where.

Blocklists filter unwanted domains. The project also includes DNSSEC handling, an admin listener and ASN database support. It is configured through files and suits people who want to build a custom DNS pipeline on a server or home machine. A Dockerfile and release packaging are provided.

Strengths

  • Supports DoT, DoH, DoQ and DTLS upstreams
  • Flexible routing of queries between resolvers
  • Built-in blocklists for filtering
  • Docker image and packaged releases

Limitations

  • Configured through files, no graphical interface
  • Takes DNS knowledge to set up well

Details

Pricing
FreeFree to download and run.
License
Proprietary
Developer
folbricht
Platforms
Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Account
Not required
Best suited for
Technical users building a custom encrypted DNS resolver with routing and blocklists
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to RouteDNS

Compare all

Software that can replace RouteDNS for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • mosdns

    A plugin-based DNS forwarder with rule-based routing, domain blocking and encrypted DNS support.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostedCommand line

    mosdns is GPL-3.0 open source with rule-based routing, domain blocking and DoT, DoH and DoQ, though it lacks DTLS and its documentation is in Chinese.

  • ctrld

    A configurable, multi-protocol DNS forwarding proxy from Control D with policy-based upstream routing.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    ctrld offers policy-based upstream routing and split-horizon rules as open source on Windows, macOS and Linux, though its documentation centres on Control D's service.

  • dnscrypt-proxy

    Encrypts your DNS lookups so your internet provider cannot read or tamper with them, and blocks domains while it is there.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    dnscrypt-proxy is ISC-licensed and adds DNSCrypt, Anonymized DNS, Oblivious DoH and Tor support with filtering, running on Windows and macOS as well as Linux.

  • CoreDNS

    A DNS server written in Go that builds its behavior from a chain of plugins.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    CoreDNS is Apache-2.0 and builds behaviour from a plugin chain with a short Corefile, but blocking needs manual plugin setup and it targets Kubernetes deployments.

  • Blocky

    Lightweight DNS proxy with blocklists, written for container deployments.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    Blocky is an Apache-2.0 proxy with per-client and per-group blocking and encrypted upstreams, built for containers and configured in YAML, with less routing flexibility.

  • dnsproxy

    A simple DNS proxy server supporting DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, DNSCrypt and DNS-over-QUIC.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostedCommand line

    dnsproxy forwards to DoH, DoT, DoQ and DNSCrypt upstreams from the AdGuard team with Docker setup included, but it does not provide blocklist management.

  • SmartDNS

    A local DNS server that queries several upstream resolvers and returns the fastest-responding IP address.

    FreeProprietaryLinuxSelf-hosted

    SmartDNS queries several upstreams and returns the fastest answer, supporting DoH3 and domain-to-IP ad blocking rules, with its main readme in Chinese.

  • AdGuard Home

    Network-wide ad and tracker blocking in a single binary, with encrypted DNS built in rather than bolted on.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    AdGuard Home trades file configuration for a web interface, adding per-client rules and parental controls and serving DoH, DoT and DoQ itself.

RouteDNS as an alternative

Listings that name RouteDNS as an alternative.

  • AdGuard DNS CLI

    A lightweight cross-platform DNS client that forwards a machine's DNS requests to AdGuard DNS.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsCommand line

    RouteDNS is a file-configured stub resolver with DoT, DoH, DoQ and DTLS upstreams, flexible routing and built-in blocklists, running on Linux.

  • dnsdist

    A DNS load balancer that routes queries to backend servers and blocks abusive traffic with rules.

    FreeProprietaryLinuxSelf-hosted

    RouteDNS routes queries between resolvers with blocklists and encrypted transports, but lacks dnsdist's runtime console and metrics exports and is aimed at single deployments.

  • Stubby

    Local DNS stub resolver that encrypts queries with DNS-over-TLS.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    RouteDNS adds DoH, DoQ and DTLS upstreams, routing between resolvers and built-in blocklists, though setting it up well takes DNS knowledge.

  • Technitium DNS Server

    A self-hosted DNS server that blocks ads network-wide, hosts your own zones, and encrypts upstream queries.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted

    RouteDNS is a file-configured stub resolver and router with blocklists and DoT, DoH and DoQ, with no graphical interface.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

Report a wrong fact or a dead link on this listing