Slow and sluggish DNS resolutions are a frustrating aspect of surfing the Internet. Many Internet users don’t realize that sometimes a website or service that seems slow to respond can actually be working perfectly.
It’s not DNS resolution that is making you giddy. DNS can be slow for many reasons, including too many users using the server and insufficient memory.
Tuning DNS resolution can improve performance, and lead to faster internet interactions. Many are becoming more concerned about the existence of malicious websites and unacceptable content online. DNS filtering allows you to restrict or limit access to certain problematic concerns.
It is important to realize that communication eavesdropping has increased. Your online activities could be monitored by both adversaries and your internet service provider (ISP). Many people have deployed VPNs for online interactions. While most sites are now protected by TLS encryption (i.e. HTTPS), there are still situations where DNS queries are not covered by these protections. These DNS queries can be viewed by others. There are many DNS encryption options that can increase privacy protection for online activities.
DNS Tuning for Performance
To optimize your DNS for better performance, there are many steps you can take. Sometimes, performance improvements can be achieved by simply changing the DNS lookup address.
The DNS server lookup address for most networks is set on the main network management device that is performing the Dynamic Host Configuration protocol (DHCP). This will be on your wireless access points (WAP) for most home users and small offices. This will most likely be a dedicated DHCP server (or appliance) for enterprise networks. You can configure the DHCP service to give a preferred DNS address to devices when they receive their IP address lease. You will often piggyback on your ISP’s DNS server(s) by default. However, this is not always the most efficient option.
Switching to an alternate DNS server to perform lookups is the best and most efficient way to improve DNS performance. You might consider using one of the open and free DNS servers instead of your ISP’s. There are many options. There are several common ones:
OpenDNS (http://www.opendns.com/):IPv4 address: 208.67.222.222 or 208.67.220.220
IPv6 address: 2620.119:35:35:35::35, or 2620.119:53:53:53:53:53
Google Public DNS (https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/):IPv4 address: 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4
IPv6 address: 2001.4860.4860.:8888 or 2001.4860.4860.::8844
Cloudflare (https://1.1.1.1/):IPv4 address: 1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1
IPv6 address: 2606:4700:4700::1111, 2606:4700:4700::1001, 2606:4700:4700::64, or 2606:4700:4700::6400
Watch (https://dns.watch/):IPv4 address: 84.200.69.80 or 84.200.70.40
IPv6 address: 2001:1608:10:25::1c04:b12f or 2001:1608:10:25::9249:d69b
Level 3/CenturyLink DNS (http://www.level3.com/):IPv4 address: 4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2, 4.2.2.3, 4.2.2.4, 4.2.2.5, 4.2.2.6, 209.244.0.3, or 209.244.0.4
Although it might not be the fastest DNS resolution speed, picking one of these public DNS servers may work. It is possible that it will offer better performance than the default DNS option provided by your ISP.
It is a good idea that you try several options before you decide on one. It is subjective to choose which alternative DNS server to use. The one that seems faster than the others would be the one you choose. There are many variables to consider, including your web browser’s cache content, changing server loads and fluctuations in internet activity. Each DNS option may be worth trying for a few days in order to determine if you notice any changes.