Setting Up Technitium DNS

Free Port 53 from systemd-resolved

# Check what's on port 53:
sudo ss -tulpn | grep :53

# Disable the stub resolver:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
# Change: #DNSStubListener=yes
# To:     DNSStubListener=no

sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

# Verify port 53 is now free:
sudo ss -tulpn | grep :53

Install Technitium DNS Server

Technitium provides an automated install script that handles .NET runtime installation and service setup:

curl -sSL https://download.technitium.com/dns/install.sh | sudo bash

The installer will download .NET, the DNS server binary, and register a systemd service. The whole process takes a few minutes.

Access the Web Interface

Open a browser and go to port 5380 on your Pi:

http://192.168.1.100:5380

On first access, you'll be prompted to create an admin username and password. Choose something strong — this controls your entire DNS server.

Configure General Settings

In the web UI: Settings → General

# Recommended settings:
- DNS Server Domain: dns.home.local (or your choice)
- Enable DNS-over-HTTPS: Yes (if you have a certificate)
- Enable DNS-over-TLS: Yes
- Enable QNAME Minimization: Yes (privacy)
- Enable DNSSEC Validation: Yes

Enable Recursive Resolver

Technitium can resolve DNS queries directly from root servers without any upstream forwarder:

# In Settings → Recursion:
- Allow Recursion: Yes
- Use Self as DNS Forwarder: No (for true recursion)

# Or go to Settings → Forwarders if you prefer
# to use an upstream provider like Cloudflare

Enable Ad Blocking

Go to the Block List section in the web UI:

# Add block lists via URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts
https://adaway.org/hosts.txt

# Or use the built-in Apps:
# Go to Apps → Get Apps → Install "Block Page"
# Then configure block lists through the app

# Force update all lists:
# Block List → Update All

Create Local DNS Zones (Optional)

One of Technitium's standout features — manage DNS for your local network:

# Go to Zones → Add Zone
# Zone Name: home.local
# Type: Primary Zone

# Then add A records:
# Name: nas     → IP: 192.168.1.200
# Name: printer → IP: 192.168.1.201
# etc.

# Now all devices on your network can reach:
# nas.home.local, printer.home.local

Point Your Router to Technitium

In your router's admin panel, set the Primary DNS server to your Pi's static IP (e.g. 192.168.1.100). All network devices will now use Technitium for DNS.

# Verify from any device on your network:
nslookup google.com 192.168.1.100

# Check Technitium service status:
sudo systemctl status technitium-dns