DNS Protocols Explained

The internet has evolved. Traditional DNS was like sending a postcard; modern protocols are like armored trucks. Here is how they work.

Unsafe

Traditional DNS

You
ISP (Seeing)
Internet

The Problem: Your requests (e.g., "bank.com") are sent in plain text. Any router along the way—especially your ISP—can read, log, and even modify them.

Secured by DNSDOH.ART

Encrypted DNS

You
ISP (Blind)
Resolver

The Solution: Your requests are wrapped in a cryptographic tunnel (TLS/HTTPS). Intermediaries only see unintelligible noise.

Protocol Comparison

Protocol Encryption Type Privacy Level Best Used For... Port
DoH (HTTPS) Same as Web Traffic High (Blends in) Browsers, Bypassing Censorship 443
DoT (TLS) Dedicated Secure Tunnel High Android, Routers, System-wide 853
DoQ (QUIC) Next-Gen UDP Transport High AdGuard, Low-Latency Gaming 853 / 784

DNS over HTTPS (DoH)

DoH camouflages your DNS queries inside standard HTTPS web traffic. Because it uses port 443 (the same port used by every secure website like Google or Facebook), it is incredibly difficult for network administrators or ISPs to block or analyze.

https://dnsdoh.art/dns-query Copy

Why choose DoH?

  • Stealth: Indistinguishable from regular web browsing.
  • Compatibility: Supported natively by Chrome, Firefox, and Windows 11.

DNS over TLS (DoT)

While DoH focuses on camouflage, DoT focuses on dedicated security. It establishes a dedicated secure tunnel purely for DNS traffic on port 853. This is cleaner for network administrators to monitor (they can see that you are doing DNS, but not what you are asking), making it the preferred standard for operating systems like Android.

tls://dnsdoh.art:853 Copy

Why choose DoT?

  • Efficiency: Less overhead than HTTPS headers.
  • System-Wide: Perfect for Android "Private DNS" and router configurations.

DNS over QUIC (DoQ)

DoQ is the cutting edge. It discards the aging TCP standard used by DoH/DoT and uses QUIC (based on UDP). This eliminates the "Head-of-Line Blocking" problem, meaning if one packet gets lost, it doesn't hold up the rest of your data.

quic://dnsdoh.art:853 Copy
Legacy TCP

Packet 1 Lost -> All traffic waits

Modern QUIC

Packet 1 Lost -> Others continue immediately

Why choose DoQ?

  • Speed: Fastest connection times, especially on mobile networks.
  • Resilience: Handles packet loss (like weak WiFi signals) much better than TCP.

HTTP/3

h3://dnsdoh.art/dns-query

Think of this as DoH upgraded with QUIC engines. It uses the same familiar HTTPS structure as DoH but runs over the lightning-fast QUIC transport layer instead of TCP. It offers the best of both worlds: the camouflage of HTTPS and the raw speed of QUIC.