Best Self-Hosted DNS & Networking Tools

What Are You Trying to Do?

Self-hosted DNS tools cover a wide range of use cases. Before picking a tool, figure out what problem you actually need to solve:

• Block ads and trackers network-wide — You want a DNS sinkhole. Pi-hole or AdGuard Home. Set it as your network’s DNS server and every device gets ad blocking without installing anything.
• Encrypt your DNS queries — You want DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) or DNS-over-TLS (DoT) between your clients and your server, or between your server and upstream resolvers. AdGuard Home has this built in. Technitium supports it natively. Pi-hole needs Unbound or a separate proxy.
• Run a full authoritative DNS server — You want to host DNS zones for your own domains, manage records, handle DNSSEC signing. Technitium, PowerDNS, or CoreDNS.
• Resolve DNS recursively without trusting any upstream — You want a recursive resolver that talks directly to root servers. Unbound or Knot Resolver.
• Manage DNS with config files, not a GUI — You want infrastructure-as-code DNS. Blocky or CoreDNS.
• All of the above — Combine tools. A common stack: Pi-hole or AdGuard Home for ad blocking, forwarding to Unbound for recursive resolution. Or Technitium handling everything in one process.

Most home users want ad blocking with encrypted DNS. Most homelab operators want that plus local DNS records and split DNS. Most infrastructure operators want authoritative DNS with DNSSEC. Pick the section that matches your need.

Quick Picks

Use Case	Best Choice	Why
Best overall	AdGuard Home	DoH/DoT built-in, ad blocking, DHCP, per-client rules, clean UI
Best for beginners	Pi-hole	Largest community, most tutorials, proven for a decade
Best full DNS server	Technitium	Authoritative + recursive + ad blocking + DoH in one binary
Best lightweight / config-as-code	Blocky	Single binary, YAML config, tiny footprint, no database
Best recursive resolver	Unbound	Battle-tested, pairs well with Pi-hole or AdGuard Home
Best for Kubernetes	CoreDNS	Default K8s DNS, plugin architecture, zone file support
Best authoritative DNS	PowerDNS	Zone management, DNSSEC, API, database backends

The Full Ranking

1. AdGuard Home — Best Overall

AdGuard Home is the most complete self-hosted DNS tool for the majority of users. It combines network-wide ad blocking with encrypted DNS protocols (DoH, DoT, DoQ, DNSCrypt), a DHCP server, per-client filtering rules, and a polished web interface — all in a single binary.

Where AdGuard Home pulls ahead of Pi-hole is protocol support. DoH and DoT work out of the box as both a client (to upstream resolvers) and a server (for your local devices). You do not need to bolt on Unbound or configure a separate proxy. It also supports DNS-over-QUIC, which Pi-hole does not.

The query log and statistics dashboard are cleaner than Pi-hole’s. Per-client rules let you apply different filtering policies to different devices — strict blocking for kids’ tablets, relaxed for your workstation. Custom DNS rewrites handle local DNS records without a separate tool.

Pros:

• Built-in DoH, DoT, DoQ, and DNSCrypt support
• Per-client filtering rules
• DHCP server included
• Clean, modern web UI
• Low resource usage (~30 MB RAM idle)
• Runs on ARM (Raspberry Pi) and x86

Cons:

• Not a full authoritative DNS server — cannot host zones for external domains
• Smaller community than Pi-hole (but growing fast)
• No recursive resolution — still forwards to upstream resolvers unless paired with Unbound

Best for: Anyone who wants ad blocking plus encrypted DNS in one tool without extra configuration.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host AdGuard Home]

---

2. Pi-hole — Best for Beginners

Pi-hole is the most well-known self-hosted DNS tool. It has been the default recommendation for network-wide ad blocking since 2014. The community is massive — if you hit a problem, someone has solved it.

Pi-hole v6 (released 2025) brought significant improvements: a rebuilt web interface, embedded DHCP improvements, and better performance. The ecosystem of blocklists, integrations, and guides is unmatched. Gravity (Pi-hole’s blocklist sync) handles millions of domains without breaking a sweat.

The main limitation is encrypted DNS. Pi-hole does not natively support DoH or DoT. You need to pair it with Unbound for recursive resolution, or configure a separate DoH proxy like cloudflared or dnscrypt-proxy. This is a well-documented setup, but it is extra work that AdGuard Home eliminates.

Pros:

• Largest community of any self-hosted DNS tool
• Decade of production stability
• Excellent blocklist ecosystem
• Very low resource usage (~20 MB RAM idle on Pi-hole v6)
• Runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero
• DHCP server included

Cons:

• No native DoH/DoT — requires Unbound or a proxy
• Web UI is functional but less polished than AdGuard Home
• No per-client filtering in the base install
• No DNS-over-QUIC support

Best for: First-time self-hosters who want ad blocking with the widest support community.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Pi-hole]

---

3. Technitium DNS Server — Best Full DNS Server

Technitium is the tool to reach for when you need more than ad blocking. It is a full-featured DNS server — authoritative zones, recursive resolution, forwarding, conditional forwarding, DNSSEC validation, DoH/DoT server and client, DHCP, and ad blocking with blocklists. All in one application.

Where Pi-hole and AdGuard Home are DNS proxies that forward queries to upstream resolvers, Technitium can resolve queries recursively itself — eliminating the need for an upstream DNS provider entirely. It can also serve as an authoritative DNS server for your own domains, which neither Pi-hole nor AdGuard Home can do.

The web UI is dense but comprehensive. Zone management, DNS record editing, DNSSEC signing, query logs, and blocklist management are all accessible from the interface. The learning curve is steeper than Pi-hole or AdGuard Home, but the capability ceiling is much higher.

Pros:

• Full authoritative + recursive + forwarding DNS in one tool
• Native DoH, DoT support (server and client)
• DNSSEC validation and signing
• Built-in DHCP server
• Ad blocking with blocklist support
• Zone management with a full DNS record editor
• Wild card records, conditional forwarding, split DNS
• Active development with frequent releases

Cons:

• Higher resource usage than Pi-hole or AdGuard Home (~80-150 MB RAM)
• Steeper learning curve — the UI exposes a lot of DNS concepts
• Smaller community than Pi-hole or AdGuard Home
• .NET runtime dependency (handled by the Docker image)

Best for: Homelab operators and small-business admins who need a real DNS server, not just an ad blocker.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Technitium]

---

4. Blocky — Best Lightweight / Config-as-Code

Blocky is a DNS proxy written in Go that takes a fundamentally different approach: no web UI, no database, just a YAML configuration file. If you manage your infrastructure with Ansible, Terraform, or Git-based workflows, Blocky fits right in.

It handles ad blocking via blocklists, conditional forwarding, custom DNS records, client group policies, and DNS-over-HTTPS upstream — all defined in a single config.yml. The binary is tiny (under 15 MB), starts in milliseconds, and uses minimal RAM.

Blocky does include an optional API and Prometheus metrics endpoint, so you can integrate it with Grafana and Prometheus for monitoring. But the core philosophy is configuration-driven, not UI-driven.

Pros:

• Single binary, no dependencies, ~10 MB RAM
• YAML config — version-controllable, reproducible
• Client group policies (different rules per subnet or client)
• DoH and DoT upstream support
• Prometheus metrics built in
• Fast startup, fast queries
• Conditional forwarding for split DNS

Cons:

• No web UI (by design)
• No recursive resolution — forwards to upstream only
• No authoritative DNS — cannot host zones
• Smaller community and fewer tutorials
• No DHCP server

Best for: Infrastructure-as-code practitioners who want DNS ad blocking managed via config files and Git.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Blocky]

---

5. Unbound — Best Recursive Resolver

Unbound is a validating, recursive DNS resolver from NLnet Labs. It does not block ads. It does not have a web UI. What it does is resolve DNS queries by talking directly to authoritative name servers, starting from the root — which means you do not need to trust any upstream DNS provider.

The most common self-hosted setup is Pi-hole or AdGuard Home as the frontend (handling ad blocking and the UI), forwarding to Unbound as the backend recursive resolver. This gives you ad blocking plus full DNS privacy — your queries never touch Google DNS, Cloudflare DNS, or any other third party.

Unbound also supports DNSSEC validation, DNS-over-TLS (as a server), response caching, and prefetching. It is battle-tested in production at ISPs and enterprises.

Pros:

• True recursive resolution — no upstream dependency
• DNSSEC validation
• Extremely stable and well-audited
• Low resource usage
• Pairs perfectly with Pi-hole or AdGuard Home

Cons:

• No ad blocking
• No web UI
• Not a standalone solution for most users — you need a frontend
• Slightly slower initial queries (recursive resolution hits multiple servers)
• Configuration via unbound.conf, no API

Best for: Users who want full DNS privacy by eliminating upstream resolver dependencies. Pair it with Pi-hole or AdGuard Home for a complete stack.

---

6. CoreDNS — Best for Kubernetes

CoreDNS is the default DNS server in Kubernetes clusters. It uses a plugin-based architecture where you chain functionality — forwarding, caching, rewriting, load balancing, health checking — through a Corefile configuration.

Outside of Kubernetes, CoreDNS is useful for service discovery, split-horizon DNS, and environments where you need programmable DNS behavior. It can serve zone files, forward queries, and integrate with etcd or other backends for dynamic records.

For home use, CoreDNS is overkill. It lacks ad blocking, has no web UI, and requires understanding its plugin chain model. But for infrastructure operators running Kubernetes or microservices, it is the standard.

Pros:

• Default Kubernetes DNS server
• Plugin architecture — highly extensible
• Supports zone files, etcd, and other backends
• Fast and lightweight
• Excellent for service discovery and split-horizon DNS

Cons:

• No ad blocking (not its purpose)
• No web UI
• Configuration requires understanding the plugin chain model
• Not designed for home/homelab ad blocking use cases

Best for: Kubernetes operators and infrastructure engineers who need programmable, extensible DNS.

---

7. PowerDNS — Best Authoritative DNS

PowerDNS is an authoritative DNS server used by hosting providers, registrars, and enterprises. If you need to host DNS zones for your own domains with full DNSSEC signing, API-driven record management, and database-backed zone storage, PowerDNS is the industry-standard open-source option.

PowerDNS comes in two components: the Authoritative Server (for hosting zones) and the Recursor (for recursive resolution). They can run together or separately. The HTTP API enables automation — create zones, manage records, and trigger DNSSEC operations programmatically.

For most self-hosters, PowerDNS is more than you need. But if you run your own domains’ DNS or operate infrastructure that requires authoritative DNS, it is the right tool.

Pros:

• Full authoritative DNS with DNSSEC signing
• HTTP API for automation
• Multiple database backends (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, LMDB)
• Used in production by major hosting providers
• PowerDNS Recursor available for recursive resolution

Cons:

• No ad blocking
• No web UI included (third-party UIs like PowerDNS Admin exist)
• Complex setup compared to Pi-hole or AdGuard Home
• Overkill for home use

Best for: Operators who need to host authoritative DNS zones for their own domains with DNSSEC and API access.

---

8. Knot Resolver — Honorable Mention

Knot Resolver (kresd) from CZ.NIC is a DNSSEC-validating recursive resolver with a focus on security and modern DNS standards. It supports DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, QNAME minimization, and aggressive NSEC caching. It is used by some ISPs and the .cz TLD operator.

For most self-hosters, Unbound covers the same role with better documentation and community support. Knot Resolver is worth considering if you specifically need its aggressive caching behavior or its Lua-scriptable policy engine.

Full Comparison Table

Feature	Pi-hole	AdGuard Home	Technitium	Blocky	Unbound	CoreDNS	PowerDNS
Ad blocking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
DNS-over-HTTPS (server)	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Plugin	No
DNS-over-TLS (server)	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Plugin	No
DNS-over-QUIC	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
DNSSEC validation	Via Unbound	Yes	Yes	Via upstream	Yes	Plugin	Yes
Recursive resolution	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Via Recursor
Authoritative DNS	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Web UI	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Third-party
REST API	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
DHCP server	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Custom DNS records	Limited	Yes (rewrites)	Yes (full zones)	Yes (YAML)	No	Yes (zones)	Yes (zones)
Conditional forwarding	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Blocklist support	Yes (Gravity)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Per-client rules	Limited	Yes	Yes	Yes (groups)	No	No	No
Docker support	Official	Official	Official	Official	Community	Official	Official
RAM usage (idle)	~20 MB	~30 MB	~80-150 MB	~10 MB	~20 MB	~15 MB	~40 MB

Common Stacks

Most self-hosters do not run a single DNS tool in isolation. Here are the most popular combinations:

Pi-hole + Unbound — The classic stack. Pi-hole handles ad blocking and the dashboard. Unbound resolves recursively, eliminating upstream DNS providers. Extremely well-documented. Compare Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home to decide which frontend suits you.

AdGuard Home + Unbound — Same idea, but AdGuard Home adds native DoH/DoT to your clients without extra proxies. Encrypted DNS in and recursive resolution out.

Technitium standalone — Technitium can do recursive resolution, ad blocking, authoritative zones, and encrypted DNS all by itself. One tool, one container, no stacking required. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve.

Blocky + Prometheus + Grafana — For the monitoring-obsessed. Blocky exposes Prometheus metrics natively. Pair it with your existing monitoring stack for DNS query visibility.

How We Evaluated

We assessed each tool on five criteria weighted by importance to self-hosters:

1. Ad blocking effectiveness — Blocklist support, update mechanisms, client-level granularity.
2. DNS protocol support — DoH, DoT, DoQ, DNSSEC, recursive resolution capability.
3. Ease of setup — Time from docker compose up to working DNS. Quality of documentation.
4. Resource efficiency — RAM and CPU usage on typical homelab hardware.
5. Flexibility — Custom records, conditional forwarding, split DNS, API access.

All tools were tested via Docker on a standard x86 Linux host. Resource measurements taken at idle with default blocklists loaded where applicable.

Related

• How to Self-Host AdGuard Home
• How to Self-Host Pi-hole
• How to Self-Host Technitium
• How to Self-Host Blocky
• Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home
• Pi-hole vs Blocky
• Technitium vs Unbound
• Unbound vs CoreDNS
• Best Self-Hosted Ad Blockers
• Replace Cloudflare DNS
• Docker Compose Basics
• DNS Explained
• Encrypted DNS Setup
• Reverse Proxy Explained