FreeDNS

I've used FreeDNS on occasion for test domain names, one-off experiments, and similar. I'm very appreciative this exists, but there are some pain points that similar services handle better.

The domains are missing from the public suffix list. This impacts how cookies are handled by the domain names, with concerns the browser will allow software to set the cookie on the shared domain name instead of the subdomain. This can be a security problem. Getting added to the PSL may not happen: https://github.com/publicsuffix/list/pull/79

It can be difficult to get a free HTTPS certificate for your subdomain. Let's Encrypt applies per-domain name rate limits and these domain names see lots of issuance requests. There's a process to lift those limits, but last I checked FreeDNS didn't use it. You can still, of course, pay for a certificate.

There's tons of abuse on free domains so you may find that your domain is blocked on various lists.

Here are some compelling alternatives I use now, which manage these issues better:

- https://messwithdns.net/ - Exceptionally well-made DNS console for learning DNS

- https://open-domains.com/ - Uses Cloudflare, great Discord group

- Even more: https://free.hrsn.dev/#/?id=domains

This is one of the most solid and longest lasting services online. Have been using it for almost two decades I think and nothing's changed.

I literally launched my development and web career on the back of this service as a broke early-20s person. Just seeing that link on HN gave me goosebumps. <3

Their backup DNS service is great, so you can run your own DNS with just one server.

https://nic.eu.org/ is also very cool for getting a domain name if paying for one is a challenge.

This looks so much like https://dns.he.net/ that it seems to me it can’t be a coincidence. Is this a case of copying a well known design or is there more to it?

Happy freeloader for something like 15 years, can recommend

I am interested, but I have some questions that don't seem to be addressed in the about us page:

How well is continuation guaranteed?

What if someone buys them? Or the maintainer stops for whatever reason?

So to get this straight this is just hosted DNS? Like Route53? They aren’t a registrar or anything?

So you could pay for hosted DNS and then use them as the name server and other DNS records for multiple domains that you have?

Can someone explain how and why and when this would be used?

> Members: 7,161,633 > Premium: 5,594 > Records: 13,834,581 > Zones: 1,276,010

That’s pretty cool.

Every once in a while, HN surfaces absolute gems like this. Bookmarked and thanks to esher!

I am a free tier sucker. I use it for testing DNS setups with our hosting platform. But I love it. Maybe some exposure helps to bring some paying customers.

One of the 5,000+ premium members. I've been using them as a secondary and for dynamic dns since... I have no idea for how long but much further back than 2015 when I started using a password manager that keeps history, probably circa 2005.

This is awesome. I'll use them as a backup DNS service; the paid version is significantly cheaper than spinning up a new domain server with the cheapest provider I know.

Not to downplay my own skills, but their OpenBSD infrastructure is a good idea. They'll be up when my DNS servers are down.

Johsh is a great sysadmin.

If you're having trouble connecting, turn off your proxy/VPN.

[dead]

Site has been hugged to death.

Free services are never free. It is only free because someone else is paying.

I don’t use this but “hoping” that someone else will donate is not sustainable for them and unrealistic in the long term.

Maybe they should start charging.