What is Dnscrypt Proxy used for?

Dnscrypt Proxy is a flexible DNS proxy that supports encrypted DNS protocols, including DNSCrypt and DNS-over-HTTPS, to secure DNS communications. It is a good fit for securing DNS queries on a local network, preventing DNS spoofing and tampering, and bypassing censorship with anonymized DNS relays.

Is Dnscrypt Proxy open source?

Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy is open source under the ISC licence. Its source code is on GitHub at DNSCrypt/dnscrypt-proxy and is written mainly in Go.

Is Dnscrypt Proxy free?

Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Dnscrypt Proxy?

Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Dnscrypt Proxy an alternative to?

Dnscrypt Proxy is an open-source alternative to NextDNS and Control D. Other open-source alternatives to NextDNS include Unbound, Stubby and Pi-hole.

Is Dnscrypt Proxy actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Dnscrypt Proxy was on 10 October 2026, and the latest release is 2.1.18, published on 18 July 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.

Dnscrypt Proxy: open-source alternative to NextDNS

About Dnscrypt Proxy

dnscrypt-proxy is a DNS proxy that encrypts, authenticates, and optionally anonymizes communications between a DNS client and resolver. It prevents DNS spoofing using cryptographic signatures to verify responses. The software supports multiple encrypted DNS protocols, including DNSCrypt version 2 and DNS-over-HTTPS.

The tool is designed for privacy, security, and performance, with features like zero-RTT operation, native parallelism, and lower latency compared to DNS-over-HTTPS. It is decentralized, allowing anyone to run a resolver without corporate approval, and is censorship-resistant due to lack of SNI, HTTP signature, or fixed port.

Key features

Encrypts and authenticates DNS communications
Supports DNSCrypt version 2 and DNS-over-HTTPS
Prevents DNS spoofing with cryptographic signatures
Zero-RTT operation with no handshake delay
Native parallelism with multiple queries in flight
Built-in query padding and multiple crypto suites

Good fit for

Securing DNS queries on a local network
Preventing DNS spoofing and tampering
Bypassing censorship with anonymized DNS relays

Built with: Go tools
Tags: dns; proxy; encryption; security; privacy

Dnscrypt Proxy: questions and answers

What is Dnscrypt Proxy used for?: Dnscrypt Proxy is a flexible DNS proxy that supports encrypted DNS protocols, including DNSCrypt and DNS-over-HTTPS, to secure DNS communications. It is a good fit for securing DNS queries on a local network, preventing DNS spoofing and tampering, and bypassing censorship with anonymized DNS relays.
Is Dnscrypt Proxy open source?: Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy is open source under the ISC licence. Its source code is on GitHub at DNSCrypt/dnscrypt-proxy and is written mainly in Go.
Is Dnscrypt Proxy free?: Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Dnscrypt Proxy?: Yes. Dnscrypt Proxy can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Dnscrypt Proxy an alternative to?: Dnscrypt Proxy is an open-source alternative to NextDNS and Control D. Other open-source alternatives to NextDNS include Unbound, Stubby and Pi-hole.
Is Dnscrypt Proxy actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Dnscrypt Proxy was on 10 October 2026, and the latest release is 2.1.18, published on 18 July 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.