CoreDNS

coredns.io · checked 4 Oct 2026

#15 · DNS Server Software

Visit coredns.io ↗ Alternatives CoreDNS vs Acrylic DNS Proxy

How it plugs in

—Public API

NoOpen source

YesFree tier

Signal on DNS Server Software5.8#15 of 23

CoreDNS is a DNS server written in Go.

Pricing

FreeCompletely open source · Apache License Version 2Free

As coredns.io lists them, checked 4 Oct 2026.

Near it

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Runs on

Web
Windows
Mac
Linux
iOS
Android

Facts

Website: coredns.io
Price: Free tier
Free trial: Not stated
Configuration limit: The manual says the provided binaries include all plugins listed in plugin.cfg, while adding or removing compiled plugins requires recompiling CoreDNS.
Distribution: The manual says releases provide precompiled binaries for various operating systems, cross-compiled Linux binaries for ARM and PowerPC, and Docker images.
Encrypted DNS transports: The manual documents DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS, and DNS over gRPC server protocols.
Founded: 2016
Integrations: The site lists plugins for Kubernetes, etcd, Microsoft Azure DNS, GCP Cloud DNS, and AWS Route53.
Metrics: The Prometheus plugin exports CoreDNS and plugin metrics, with the default metrics endpoint at localhost:9153 and path /metrics.
Plugin architecture: CoreDNS chains plugins that perform DNS functions, and its manual says about 30 plugins are included in the default install.
Project status: CoreDNS identifies itself as a graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation project.
Security: The forward plugin supports TLS connections to upstream DNS servers and sets the minimum TLS version to TLS 1.2.
Security assessment: A Cure53 report says its March 2018 assessment found four security-relevant findings, including one critical finding, in the CoreDNS software tested.
Service discovery: The Kubernetes plugin implements the Kubernetes DNS-Based Service Discovery Specification and can be used as a replacement for kube-dns in a Kubernetes cluster.
Support and community: The homepage says some developers gather in the #coredns channel on Slack and development takes place on GitHub.

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