Public recursive name server

A public recursive name server (also called public DNS resolver) is a name server service that networked computers may use to query the Domain Name System (DNS), the decentralized Internet naming system, in place of (or in addition to) name servers operated by the local Internet service provider (ISP) to which the devices are connected. Reasons for using these services include:

• speed, compared to using ISP DNS services[1]
• filtering (security, ad-blocking, porn-blocking, etc.)[2]
• reporting[3]
• avoiding censorship[4]
• redundancy (smart caching)[5]
• access to unofficial alternative top level domains not found in the official DNS root zone
• temporary unavailability of the ISP's name server

Public DNS resolver operators often cite increased privacy as an advantage of their services; critics of public DNS services have cited the possibility of mass data collection targeted at the public resolvers as a potential risk of using these services. Several services now support secure DNS lookup transport services such as DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT).

Public DNS resolvers are operated either by commercial companies, offering their service for free use to the public, or by private enthusiasts to help spread new technologies and support non-profit communities.

List of public DNS service operators

Provider	Nodes	Privacy policy	DNS over UDP	DNSSEC	DNS over TLS	DNS over HTTPS	DNSCrypt	Hostnames	IPv4 addresses	IPv6 addresses	Filters	Remarks
AdGuard	12[6]	Yes[7]	Yes	Yes[8]	Yes	Yes[9]	Yes[10]	dns.adguard.com	94.140.14.14 94.140.15.15	2a10:50c0::ad1:ff 2a10:50c0::ad2:ff	Default[11]	A free, privacy-oriented DNS resolution system that blocks tracking, ads and phishing.[12]
								dns-family.adguard.com	94.140.14.15 94.140.15.16	2a10:50c0::bad1:ff 2a10:50c0::bad2:ff	Family[11]
								dns-unfiltered.adguard.com	94.140.14.140 94.140.14.141	2a10:50c0::1:ff 2a10:50c0::2:ff	None[11]
CleanBrowsing	20	Yes[13]	Yes	Yes	Yes[14]	Yes[15]	Yes[16]	family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org	185.228.168.168 185.228.169.168	2a0d:2a00:1:: 2a0d:2a00:2::	Family	Designed to be used on devices of kids under 13.
								adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org	185.228.168.10 185.228.169.11	2a0d:2a00:1::1 2a0d:2a00:2::1	Adult
								security-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org	185.228.168.9 185.228.169.9	2a0d:2a00:1::2 2a0d:2a00:2::2	Security
Cloudflare	200[17]	Yes[18]	Yes	Yes[19]	Yes[20]	Yes[21]	No	one.one.one.one[22] 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com	1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1	2606:4700:4700::1111 2606:4700:4700::1001	None
								dns64.cloudflare-dns.com	—	2606:4700:4700::64 2606:4700:4700::6400	None	Intended to be used with IPv6-only network.[23] See NAT64 and DNS64.
								security.cloudflare-dns.com	1.1.1.2 1.0.0.2	2606:4700:4700::1112 2606:4700:4700::1002	Malware, Phishing
								family.cloudflare-dns.com	1.1.1.3 1.0.0.3	2606:4700:4700::1113 2606:4700:4700::1003	Malware, Phishing, Adult content
Comodo		No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	ns1.recursive.dnsbycomodo.com ns2.recursive.dnsbycomodo.com	8.26.56.26 8.20.247.20	—
Dyn		Yes[24]	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	resolver1.dyndnsinternetguide.com resolver2.dyndnsinternetguide.com	216.146.35.35 216.146.36.36	—		Shut down on May 31, 2022
Google	23[25]	Yes[26]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes[27]	No	dns.google[28] google-public-dns-a.google.com google-public-dns-b.google.com	8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4	2001:4860:4860::8888 2001:4860:4860::8844	None
								dns64.dns.google	—	2001:4860:4860::6464 2001:4860:4860::64	None	Intended to be used on networks with NAT64 gateway.[29]
Neustar		Yes[30]	Yes	Yes	No	No	No		64.6.64.6 64.6.65.6 156.154.70.1 156.154.71.1	2620:74:1b::1:1 2620:74:1c::2:2 2610:a1:1018::1 2610:a1:1019::1	None	Verisign transferred its public DNS (IPs starting in 64. or 2620:) to Neustar on Dec 3, 2020[31]
									156.154.70.2 156.154.71.2	2610:a1:1018::2 2610:a1:1019::2	Malware, ransomware, spyware, phishing
									156.154.70.3 156.154.71.3	2610:a1:1018::3 2610:a1:1019::3	Low security + gambling, pornography, violence, hate
									156.154.70.4 156.154.71.4	2610:a1:1018::4 2610:a1:1019::4	Medium security + gaming, adult, drugs, alcohol, anonymous proxies
									156.154.70.5 156.154.71.5	2610:a1:1018::5 2610:a1:1019::5	None	Will not redirect non-existent domains to a landing page
OpenDNS	31[32]	Yes[33]	Yes	Yes[34]	No	Yes[35]	Yes[36]	dns.opendns.com	208.67.222.222 208.67.220.220	2620:119:35::35 2620:119:53::53	Basic Security filtering + user defined policies
								familyshield.opendns.com	208.67.222.123 208.67.220.123	2620:119:35::123 2620:119:53::123	"FamilyShield": adult content
								sandbox.opendns.com	208.67.222.2 208.67.220.2	2620:0:ccc::2 2620:0:ccd::2	None	Sandbox addresses which provide no filtering
OpenNIC		Yes[37]	Yes	Yes	No	No	Partial[38]	Several [39]	185.121.177.177 169.239.202.202	2a05:dfc7:5::53 2a05:dfc7:5::5353		List of all OpenNIC Tier 2 DNS Resolvers
Quad9	149[40]	Yes[41]	Yes	Yes[42]	Yes[43]	Yes[44]	Yes[45]	dns.quad9.net rpz-public-resolver1.rrdns.pch.net	9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112	2620:fe::fe 2620:fe::9	Malicious domains (phishing, malware, exploit kit domains)
				No[46]				dns-nosec.quad9.net	9.9.9.10 149.112.112.10	2620:fe::10 2620:fe::fe:10	None
Yandex		Yes[47]	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	dns.yandex.ru secondary.dns.yandex.ru	77.88.8.1 77.88.8.8	2a02:6b8::feed:0ff 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:0ff	None
								safe.dns.yandex.ru secondary.safe.dns.yandex.ru	77.88.8.2 77.88.8.88	2a02:6b8::feed:bad 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:bad	"Safe": fraudulent / infected / bot sites
								family.dns.yandex.ru secondary.family.dns.yandex.ru	77.88.8.3 77.88.8.7	2a02:6b8::feed:a11 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:a11	"Family": fraudulent / infected / bot / adult sites

References

1. "How to Change Your Default DNS to Google DNS for Fast Internet Speeds". TechWorm. 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
2. "A simple way to get around Rogers' DNS re-directing". IT Business. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
3. "OpenDNS Adds Centralized Reporting, IP-Layer Enforcement to Umbrella". mspmentor.net. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
4. "Austrian Pirate Bay Blockade Censors Slovak Internet - TorrentFreak". TorrentFreak. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
5. Security; Iana. "DNS devastation: Top websites whacked offline as Dyn dies again". The Register. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
6. AdGuard DNS servers map
7. AdGuard DNS Privacy Notice
8. AdGuard DNS FAQ: What is DNSSEC?
9. The official release of AdGuard DNS — a new unique approach to privacy-oriented DNS
10. Adguard DNS now supports DNSCrypt
11. AdGuard DNS Setup guide
12. "AdGuard DNS FAQ: What is AdGuard DNS?". adguard.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
13. NOC.org / dcid. "CleanBrowsing Privacy and Terms of Service". Cleanbrowsing.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
14. "Parental Control with DNS over TLS Support".
15. NOC.org / dcid. "Parental Control with DNS Over HTTPS (DoH) Support". Cleanbrowsing.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
16. NOC.org / dcid. "Parental Control with DNSCrypt Support". Cleanbrowsing.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
17. Cloudflare: Our Anycast Network Map
18. "Privacy Policy". Cloudflare. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
19. "The Nitty Gritty - Cloudflare Resolver".
20. Cloudflare Inc (2018-03-31). "DNS over TLS - Cloudflare Resolver". Developers.cloudflare.com. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
21. Cloudflare Inc. "DNS over HTTPS - Cloudflare Resolver". Developers.cloudflare.com. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
22. "Test DNS owner one.one.one.one". 2018-08-21.
23. Supporting IPv6-only Networks
24. "Oracle's Privacy Policy". dyn.com. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
25. Google Public DNS: Where are your servers currently located?
26. Google Public DNS: Your Privacy
27. Google Public DNS: DNS-over-HTTPS
28. "Get Started | Public DNS".
29. Google Public DNS64
30. "Privacy Policy | Neustar". home.neustar.
31. "Verisign Public DNS Offers DNS Stability And Security – Verisign". www.verisign.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
32. OpenDNS: Data Center Locations
33. Cisco Online Privacy Statement
34. DNSSEC General Availability - OpenDNS
36. OpenDNS and DNSCrypt
37. OpenNIC: Privacy Policy
38. OpenNIC: DNSCrypt
39. OpenNIC Tier 2 DNS Resolvers
40. Quad9 Locations
41. Quad9: Privacy, Data Collection and Use Policy
42. Quad9 FAQ: Does Quad9 implement DNSSEC?
43. Quad9 Frequently Asked Questions
44. DoH with Quad9 DNS Servers
45. Quad9 DNSCrypt Now In Testing
46. Quad9 FAQ: Is there a service that Quad9 offers that does not have the blocklist or other security?
47. Terms of use of the Yandex.DNS service

External links

• Home page of the DNSCrypt project: Public DNS servers