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CoreDNS vs NSD: catalog facts
CoreDNS	NSD
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.	Free Free and open source under the BSD license; paid support is available.
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	Very high query throughput Used by DNS root servers and TLD registries
Ad or content blocking needs manual plugin setup rather than a ready interface No graphical dashboard	Authoritative only, with no recursive resolver Aimed at operators comfortable with DNS server configuration
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: BSD
No account needed	No account 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 October 2, 2026

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