CoreDNS

Spec sheet

What it does

CoreDNS is a DNS server written in Go.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Integrations

The site lists plugins for Kubernetes, etcd, Microsoft Azure DNS, GCP Cloud DNS, and AWS Route53.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Security

The forward plugin supports TLS connections to upstream DNS servers and sets the minimum TLS version to TLS 1.2.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Founded

2016Read 28 Sep 2026 · coredns.io

Configuration limit

The manual says the provided binaries include all plugins listed in plugin.cfg, while adding or removing compiled plugins requires recompiling CoreDNS.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Distribution

The manual says releases provide precompiled binaries for various operating systems, cross-compiled Linux binaries for ARM and PowerPC, and Docker images.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Encrypted DNS transports

The manual documents DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS, and DNS over gRPC server protocols.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Metrics

The Prometheus plugin exports CoreDNS and plugin metrics, with the default metrics endpoint at localhost:9153 and path /metrics.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Plugin architecture

CoreDNS chains plugins that perform DNS functions, and its manual says about 30 plugins are included in the default install.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Project status

CoreDNS identifies itself as a graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation project.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Security assessment

A Cure53 report says its March 2018 assessment found four security-relevant findings, including one critical finding, in the CoreDNS software tested.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Service discovery

The Kubernetes plugin implements the Kubernetes DNS-Based Service Discovery Specification and can be used as a replacement for kube-dns in a Kubernetes cluster.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Support and community

The homepage says some developers gather in the #coredns channel on Slack and development takes place on GitHub.Read 4 Oct 2026 · coredns.io

Plans and prices

Every CoreDNS plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• DNS Server Software#7 of 237.8