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CoreDNS — a flexible DNS server assembled from Corefile plugins

OSS scale score 298.6OSS health 92Update pace 76 commits/30d
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Stars
14,330
Primary language
Go
License
Apache-2.0
Repository last updated
Sep 18, 2026

Overview

CoreDNS is a DNS server that combines plugins for forwarding, caching, authoritative responses, Kubernetes service discovery, Prometheus metrics, and other DNS functions. Behavior is configured in a Corefile so deployments can compose only the capabilities they need. It is a CNCF Graduated project and supports UDP/TCP DNS as well as DoT, DoH, DoH3, and DoQ.

Features and best fit

Based on official documentation; not hands-on tested · Content checked:

Compose DNS behavior with Corefile plugins

Plugins such as forward, cache, kubernetes, prometheus, and log can be combined to build the required DNS behavior.

Sources: [2]

Integrate Kubernetes and external DNS backends

CoreDNS can use Kubernetes or etcd as a backend, forward requests upstream, serve zone files, cache responses, and expose metrics.

Sources: [2]

For flexible DNS in cloud-native and internal environments

CoreDNS is useful not only as Kubernetes DNS but also for internal forwarding, caching, authoritative zones, and custom DNS services assembled from plugins.

Sources: [2][4]

Test port 53 and Corefile behavior before production rollout

The standard DNS port can conflict with local resolvers or require additional privileges. The README demonstrates port 1053 for local testing, which is a safer way to validate plugin behavior and forwarding first.

Sources: [2]

Official sources

  1. [1]coredns/coredns repository(2026-09-20)
  2. [2]CoreDNS README(2026-09-20)
  3. [3]CoreDNS Apache-2.0 license(2026-09-20)
  4. [4]CoreDNS documentation(2026-09-20)
Supplemental curator note

CoreDNS is distinguished by composing DNS behavior from plugins in a Corefile rather than exposing one fixed server configuration. It is useful beyond Kubernetes for forwarding, caching, custom backends, and specialized DNS services.

Try it in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Build CoreDNS

    Build the coredns binary with the source compilation path in the official README.

    git clone https://github.com/coredns/coredns.git && cd coredns && make
  2. 2

    Create a Corefile on port 1053

    Avoid conflicts on port 53 and start with only upstream forwarding and query logging.

    printf '.:1053 {\n forward . 8.8.8.8\n log\n}\n' > Corefile
  3. 3

    Run CoreDNS and test resolution

    From another terminal, run dig @127.0.0.1 -p 1053 example.com and verify forwarding and query logs.

    ./coredns -conf Corefile
Check the official README

Growth

Growth trends · Last 30 days

14,330 Stars

Trend data is still being collected.

Development activity

Last 90 days · weekly

Commits (last 30 days)
76
Open PRs
76
Issues opened
26
Issues closed
70
PRs opened
348
PRs merged
283

Issues

26 / 70

Jun 23Sep 20
Issues openedIssues closed

Pull requests

348 / 283

Jun 23Sep 20
PRs openedPRs merged

Maintenance

Median first response
2.8 days
Issue response rate
17.4% (4/23)

Based on up to the 100 newest issues opened by external users in the last 90 days. A first comment from an OWNER, MEMBER, or COLLABORATOR counts as a response; issues whose full comment history cannot be checked are excluded. The median and response rate update weekly.

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Categories and tags

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GitHub data

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GitHub Topics

  • dns-server
  • go
  • cncf
  • coredns
  • plugin
  • service-discovery
Stars
14,330
Forks
2,532
Watchers
221
Open issues
203
Contributors
432
Primary language
Go
License
Apache-2.0
Repository last updated
Sep 18, 2026
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