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CoreDNS vs dnsmasq: catalog facts
CoreDNS	dnsmasq
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Linux, Self-hosted, Command line	Linux, Self-hosted
Plugin chain handles rewriting, zone files, metrics and service discovery Custom builds can include only needed plugins	DNS, DHCP and network boot from one tiny daemon Local hostname resolution for DHCP clients happens automatically
Ad or content blocking needs manual plugin setup rather than a ready interface No graphical dashboard	Not a recursive resolver; it forwards to one Configuration syntax is terse
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.