Technitium DNS Server

Active

Founded: 2010
Developer: Technitium Software
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi

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Overview

Technitium DNS Server is an open source authoritative and recursive DNS server for self-hosting to enhance privacy and security. It supports blocking domains via lists, hosting custom zones, recursive resolution, and features like clustering for multi-server management.¹²

Key Features

Cross-Platform Support - Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Raspberry Pi using .NET runtime.
Blocked Zones - Blocks domains manually or via auto-updating block lists with allow exceptions.
Authoritative Zones - Hosts domains with wildcard records, delegation, and enable/disable options.
Recursive Resolution - Resolves domains using root servers or forwarders with negative caching.
Clustering - Manages multiple DNS server instances from a single web console.
DNSSEC Support - Validates and signs zones using RSA, ECDSA, EdDSA with NSEC/NSEC3.
Built-in DHCP Server - Serves DHCP for multiple networks with IPv6 support.
Web Console - Provides multi-user access, SSO via OIDC, and non-expiring API tokens.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Community Edition	Free	Full open source features including clustering, DNSSEC, and web console.

Platforms & Requirements

Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Raspberry Pi (arm7 CPU and above) via .NET runtime; Raspberry Pi 1 and Zero (arm6) not supported. Accessible via web console on port 5380. Requires open ports like 53/udp for DNS, 443/tcp/udp for DoH, and 67/udp for DHCP.¹³

Integrations & Ecosystem

OpenID Connect (OIDC) SSO
DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH)
DNS-over-TLS (DoT)
HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy (Tor, Cloudflare)
Block list URLs
API access with tokens
DHCP integration
Clustering between instances

Alternatives

App	Difference
Pi-hole	Focuses on ad-blocking via recursive DNS; lacks native authoritative zones and clustering.
Bind9	Enterprise-grade DNS server; more complex configuration without built-in web console.
PowerDNS	Modular DNS with database backends; requires additional setup for recursive features.
Unbound	Recursive resolver only; no authoritative hosting or ad-blocking zones.

Reputation

Technitium DNS Server is regarded as a robust, high-performance alternative to Pi-hole for homelabs, praised for cross-platform support, web interface, and advanced features like clustering and DNSSEC.²⁴⁷ Users note its ease of setup on Linux/Docker and capability for millions of queries per minute on standard hardware. Some mention Raspberry Pi limitations to arm7 CPUs and a learning curve for authoritative zone management.³

Sources (9)