OpenApps

Alternatives to dnsmasq

dnsmasq provides network infrastructure for small networks including DNS, DHCP, router advertisement and network boot functionality in a lightweight, easy-to-configure package. Find open source and proprietary alternatives that serve similar purposes.

License:Unknown

Difficulty:Easy

Pricing:Free

Hosting:Self-Hosted

Self-hosted alternatives to dnsmasq

Open source projects that can replace dnsmasq:

Unbound

3,699

BSD-3-Clause

Unbound is a security-focused recursive DNS resolver that prioritizes user privacy and data integrity. Developed by NLnetLabs, it's designed to be fast, lightweight, and secure with modern DNS features built-in from the ground up.

Key Features

Security First:
- Built-in DNSSEC validation
- DNS over TLS (DoT) support
- DNS over HTTPS (DoH) support
- Query name minimization
- Aggressive NSEC caching
- Cryptographic validation
Privacy Protection:
- Query privacy protection
- Minimal data disclosure
- No query logging by default
- Local root server support
- DNS filtering capabilities
- Response policy zones (RPZ)
High Performance:
- Multi-threaded architecture
- Efficient caching algorithms
- Prefetching popular domains
- Memory-optimized design
- Fast recursive resolution
- Load balancing support
Modern DNS Standards:
- Full IPv6 support
- EDNS(0) implementation
- TCP fallback support
- QNAME minimization
- Aggressive NSEC caching
- DNS cookies support

BIND

699

MPL-2.0

BIND is the most widely deployed DNS server software in the world, trusted by enterprises, service providers, and organizations globally. It provides a complete, robust, and standards-compliant DNS solution with decades of proven reliability.

Key Features

Complete DNS Solution:
- Authoritative name server
- Recursive resolver
- Caching name server
- Forwarding resolver
- Split-horizon DNS
- Dynamic DNS updates
Industry Standards:
- Full RFC compliance
- DNSSEC implementation
- IPv6 support
- EDNS(0) support
- DNS over TLS (DoT)
- Response Rate Limiting (RRL)
Enterprise Features:
- Geographic load balancing
- Split DNS views
- Access control lists
- Query rate limiting
- Comprehensive logging
- Statistics collection
Security & Reliability:
- DNSSEC signing and validation
- TSIG transaction signatures
- Response policy zones (RPZ)
- Blackhole and whitelist support
- Secure zone transfers
- DDoS protection