====== Networking - DNS - Improve DNS Performance - Dnsmasq ======

**dnsmasq** is a lightweight DNS, TFTP, PXE, router advertisement and DHCP server.

It is intended to provide coupled DNS and DHCP service to a LAN.

Dnsmasq accepts DNS queries and either answers them from a small, local, cache or forwards them to a real, recursive, DNS server.

----

===== Install Dnsmasq =====

<code bash>
sudo install dnsmasq
</code>

----

===== Configure Dnsmasq =====

Dont change **/etc/dnsmasq.conf**.

Setup **127.0.0.1** as DNS server name in **/etc/resolve.conf** file:

<file bash /etc/resolve.conf>
nameserver 127.0.0.1
nameserver 1.1.1.1
nameserver 9.9.9.9
</file>

Replace 1.1.1.1/9.9.9.9 with the DNS servers you prefer.

dnsmasq should read the list of nameservers automatically from /etc/resolv.conf.

<WRAP info>
**NOTE:** Ensure that 127.0.0.1 is listed as the first nameserver address in /etc/resolv.conf.

This ensure that local clients always gets cached queries.
</WRAP>


----

===== Restart Dnsmasq =====

<code bash>
/etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart
</code>

----

===== Update your devices to point to the DNS server =====

Point your clients to the address of the server running Dnsmasq.

It is easy to use Dnsmasq rather than setting up caching BIND server.

But hold on it has some cool usage too.

You can add domains which you want to force to specific IP address.

For example, doubleclick.net displays ugly adds on many sites, just send this server it to our 127.0.0.1 (i.e. your local server ).

Just open a file /etc/dnsmasq.conf and add following line to it:

<file bash /etc/dnsmasq.conf>
address=/doubleclick.net/127.0.0.1
</file>

Restart Dnsmasq and make sure you runs local webserver at 127.0.0.1 with some default page.

Read the Dnsmasq man page and docs for more information.