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Introducing DNS.SB - xTom’s Free Privacy-Focused DNS Resolver

With DNS.SB, only you and the websites you access know your browsing history. Best of all it's free.

Publish date: 10/7/2024

The internet is part of our everyday lives, but with more surveillance and data collection than ever, protecting your privacy online has become a necessity.

That’s why xTom built DNS.SB, a free DNS resolver that prioritizes your privacy and offers incredibly fast performance.

Before we can talk about DNS.SB, though, we need to first discuss DNS queries and explain the role a DNS resolver plays in accessing the internet.

What is a DNS query?

Every time you visit a website, your device makes a request known as a DNS query.

A DNS query is essentially a request to translate a domain name—like example.com—into an IP address that your computer can understand and use to connect to the right server. This process happens every time you access a website, send an email, or use an online service.

What information can a DNS query reveal about you?

DNS queries can expose a surprising amount of information, for example:

  • Which websites you visit: Every domain you access sends a DNS query, leaving a trail of your online browsing history.
  • When you access them: DNS queries can timestamp your browsing activities, revealing the exact times you visit specific sites.
  • The services you use: Any online service that involves a domain (social media, email, streaming) generates DNS queries, which shows all services you use.

...and more.

What is a DNS resolver and why do they matter?

A DNS resolver is the middleman that handles those DNS queries.

Its job is to take the human-readable domain name (like example.com) and return the corresponding IP address (like 192.0.2.1). Without a DNS resolver, you'd need to remember the IP address of every website you want to visit—not exactly practical.

While the process happens in milliseconds, every DNS query contains key information about your internet activity. If your DNS resolver logs or sells that data, it means your browsing habits are being tracked.

How DNS.SB protects your privacy

Even if a DNS resolver has a no-logs policy, like DNS.SB, unencrypted DNS traffic can still be intercepted by third parties, including ISPs, hackers, or anyone else monitoring your connection.

Feature Without encryption With encryption
Visibility of DNS queries Queries are visible to anyone on the network (ISPs, hackers, etc.). Queries are hidden from network observers and attackers.
Interception risk High. DNS queries can be intercepted or manipulated by attackers (e.g., MITM attacks). Low. Encrypted queries prevent interception and tampering.
No-logs policy Prevents DNS queries from being logged by the resolver but doesn’t protect against outside interception. Protects DNS queries from being logged by the resolver and prevents interception by third parties.
Security Vulnerable to DNS spoofing and other attacks, as queries can be altered. Secure. DNS queries are protected from manipulation.
Privacy Limited. Queries can be tracked and monitored by third parties. Strong. Queries are private and cannot be viewed by third parties.

That’s why DNS.SB goes beyond simply not logging your queries.

By offering encrypted DNS services through DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), we can guarantee that your DNS traffic is secure and can’t be intercepted or tracked.

And between both DNS.SB's encryption and no-logs policy—you can rest safely knowing what you do online stays between you and the websites you visit.

DNS over TLS (DoT)

DNS over TLS (DoT) encrypts DNS queries over port 853, adding an extra layer of security by wrapping your DNS queries in TLS encryption.

DNS.SB's DoT server info:

  • Hostname: dot.sb
  • Port: 853
  • IPv4: 185.222.222.222 / 45.11.45.11
  • IPv6: 2a09:: / 2a11::

DNS Over HTTPS (DoH)

DNS over HTTPS (DoH) performs a similar function, but it sends DNS queries through the HTTPS protocol. This makes it even harder for anyone to monitor or intercept your traffic since it blends in with regular encrypted web traffic.

DNS.SB's DoH URLs:

Speed and reliability with DNS.SB

While privacy is at the core of DNS.SB, speed and reliability are just as important.

Every time you load a website, you send out DNS queries. If the DNS resolver is slow, you feel it in every click.

That’s why DNS.SB uses Anycast to broadcast a single IP address from multiple servers worldwide. This guarantees your queries are routed to the nearest server, reducing latency and improving performance.

Pick your choice of location:

  • Düsseldorf, Germany
  • Frankfurt, Germany
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Tallinn, Estonia
  • Osaka, Japan
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Hong Kong, China
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Chicago, United States
  • New York, United States
  • San Jose, United States
  • Los Angeles, United States
  • Bengaluru, India
  • Singapore
  • Seoul, South Korea
  • Moscow, Russia
  • Toronto, Canada
  • Berlin, Germany

Of course all powered by xTom's premium network.

Now, all of that said, let's get into how to use DNS.SB:

How to use DNS.SB

Setting up DNS.SB is a breeze, whether you’re using regular DNS or opting for the added privacy of DoH or DoT.

1. Regular DNS setup

To set up regular DNS, just use these IP addresses:

  • IPv4: 185.222.222.222 / 45.11.45.11
  • IPv6: 2a09:: / 2a11::

Here’s how to configure it on popular platforms:

Windows:

  1. Open "Network & Internet settings."
  2. Click "Change adapter options."
  3. Right-click your network connection, select "Properties."
  4. Choose "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and enter DNS.SB’s IPv4 addresses (this is if you have IPv4 access, of course, if not, you'll need to use IPv6).

macOS:

  1. Open "System Preferences" and go to "Network."
  2. Select your network and click "Advanced."
  3. Go to the DNS tab and enter DNS.SB’s IP addresses.

For setting up DNS.SB on alternative devices/other ways, see here.

2. DNS over TLS setup (encrypted)

If you’re looking for more security, set up DNS over TLS:

  • Hostname: dot.sb
  • Port: 853

Android (9+):

  1. Go to "Settings" > "Network & internet."
  2. Tap "Private DNS" and enter dot.sb as the Private DNS provider hostname.

For other devices and other ways, see here.

3. DNS over HTTPS setup (encrypted)

For DoH, simply enter DNS.SB’s DoH URLs in your browser’s settings:

Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Go to "Preferences" > "Network Settings."
  2. Enable "DNS over HTTPS" and enter DNS.SB’s DoH URL.

Google Chrome:

  1. Open "Settings" and scroll down to "Privacy and security."
  2. Enable "Use secure DNS" and enter DNS.SB’s DoH URL.

Or for alternative devices, and other ways of using DNS.SB via DoH, see here.

Conclusion

With xTom’s global infrastructure, DNS.SB combines speed, privacy, and reliability, all at no cost to the user. Whether you're looking for fast DNS resolution or more control over your digital privacy, DNS.SB delivers—no strings attached.

That said, if you're interested in learning more or switching over to DNS.SB, click here.

Thanks for reading & here's to reclaiming your digital privacy!

P.S. xTom supports everything from free projects like this to some of the biggest mainstream VPN and VPS providers you’ve heard of - and more. We’d love to help you with your next project, too!

For bigger projects, visit our main xTom brand. If you're working on smaller or hobbyist (yet production level) projects, check out our KVM VPS brand.

Tags:#dns resolver#privacy#dns#dns queries#dns.sb