Technitium DNS Server is a free, open-source, self-hosted DNS server with DNS-over-HTTPS, ad blocking, and a web admin console.
Technitium DNS Server is a free, open-source DNS server that individuals and organizations can self-host for privacy, security, and network-level control over DNS resolution. It functions as both an authoritative DNS server for hosting your own zones and a recursive resolver for answering queries on behalf of client devices.
The project was created by Shreyas Zare, an independent developer based in Mumbai, India, who has maintained Technitium's suite of networking tools, including the DNS server and the earlier Technitium MAC Address Changer, since the mid-2000s. The DNS server itself has been actively developed with frequent releases documented on the Technitium blog.
The server works out of the box with minimal configuration and includes a browser-based web admin console for managing zones, forwarders, and blocklists without editing configuration files by hand.
It supports encrypted DNS protocols including DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS (HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3), and DNS-over-QUIC, letting administrators run their own encrypted DNS endpoint rather than relying on third-party resolvers.
A built-in DHCP server can manage multiple networks, and a clustering feature allows several DNS server instances to be administered from a single console for redundancy and load distribution.
Security features include multi-user, role-based access control, non-expiring API tokens for automation, and TOTP-based two-factor authentication for admin accounts.
Technitium DNS Server is entirely free and released under the GNU GPLv3 open-source license, which permits both personal and commercial use. There is no paid tier, license key, or feature gate; every capability, including clustering, DHCP, and encrypted DNS protocols, is available in the free download.
Because it is self-hosted, the only ongoing cost is the infrastructure used to run it, such as a home server, Raspberry Pi, virtual machine, or cloud instance. Users who redistribute modified versions of the software are required under GPLv3 to make their source code changes available under the same license.
Yes, Technitium DNS Server is completely free and open source under the GNU GPLv3 license, with no paid tier or feature limits.
Technitium DNS Server was created by Shreyas Zare, an independent developer based in Mumbai, India.
Yes, it supports blocklists that filter ads, trackers, and malicious domains for every device on the network using it.
Yes, it supports DNS-over-HTTPS along with DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-QUIC for encrypted DNS resolution.
It is a cross-platform application built on .NET and can run on Windows, Linux, macOS, and low-power devices such as a Raspberry Pi.
Yes, it includes a built-in DHCP server capable of managing multiple networks.
Yes, its GPLv3 license permits commercial use, and features like clustering and role-based access support small business and self-hosted enterprise use, though there is no official commercial support contract.
Unlike third-party public resolvers, Technitium DNS Server is self-hosted, meaning the administrator controls the resolver, its logs, and its blocking rules directly rather than relying on an external provider.