The Domain Name System (DNS) is used to resolve human-readable hostnames like technowing.net into machine-readable IP addresses 192.185.87.123. In other words, DNS is a technology standard for managing names of public websites and other Internet domains. The DNS technology allows you to type names into your Web browsers like technowing.net and your computer automatically directs you that address on the Internet. A key element of the DNS is a worldwide collection of DNS servers.
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What are DNS Servers?
A DNS server is any computer registered to join the Domain Name System. A DNS server runs special-purpose networking software, features a public IP address, and contains a database of network names and addresses for other Internet hosts.
When you type technowing.net in your web browser’s address bar, your computer contacts your current DNS server and asks what IP is associated with technowing.net. After it gets the IP address, your computer then connects to this IP address and the website technowing.net is displayed in your web browser. The connection to the IP address 192.185.87.123 happens in the background that you are totally unaware of.
What are Public DNS servers?
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you DNS servers while you are using the internet. Sometimes DNS servers provided by your ISP may be not fast and resolve all web addresses. In such a scenario, Public DNS servers become handy. Public DNS is a free and Global Domain Name System (DNS) resolution service, that you can use as an alternative to your default/current DNS servers provided by your ISP.
Some of the benefits of using Public DNS servers are:
- It’s more accurate since it is widely used and maintained well.
- It improves your internet speed by resolving web addresses quickly.
- You won’t get annoying advertisements from ISPs and can enjoy genuine web results.
- It provides more security compared to your ISP DNS servers.
Top Free Public DNS Servers
There are lots of free Public DNS servers for you to choose from. Here’s a list of Top 5 Free Public DNS servers most widely used:
| S.N | DNS PROVIDER | PREFERRED DNS SERVER | ALTERNATE DNS SERVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Google Public DNS | 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 |
| 2. | OpenDNS -1
OpenDNS -2 |
208.67.222.222
208.67.222.220 |
208.67.220.220
208.67.220.222 |
| 3. | Comodo Secure DNS | 8.26.56.26 | 8.20.247.20 |
| 4. | Norton ConnectSafe for Home | 199.85.126.10(20,30) | 199.85.127.10(20,30) |
| 5. | Free Recursive DNS | 156.154.70.1 | 156.154.71.1 |
Other Free Public DNS Servers
The above mentioned are the most popular and widely used DNS servers. However, there are still plenty of options available for you to choose when it comes to DNS servers.
DNS Servers for IPv4:
| S.N | DNS PROVIDERS | PREFFERED DNS SERVER | ALTERNATE DNS SERVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | FreeDNS | 37.235.1.174 | 37.235.1.177 |
| 2. | SmartViper | 208.76.50.50 | 208.76.51.51 |
| 3. | DNS WATCH | 84.200.69.80 | 84.200.70.40 |
| 4. | SpeakEasy | 216.27.175.2 | 64.81.45.2 |
| 5. | Dyn | 216.146.35.35 | 216.146.36.36 |
| 6. | Norton ConnectSafe | 198.153.192.1 | 198.153.194.1 |
| 7. | Comodo | 156.154.70.22 | 156.154.71.22 |
| 8. | Sprintlink | 199.2.252.10 | 204.97.212.10 |
| 9. | Safe DNS | 195.46.39.39 | 195.46.39.40 |
| 10. | ClaraNet | 212.82.225.7 | 212.82.226.212 |
| 11. | UltraDNS | 204.69.234.1 | 204.74.101.1 |
| 12. | Level 3 – A | 209.244.0.3 | 209.244.0.4 |
| 13. | Level 3 – B | 4.2.2.1 | 4.2.2.2 |
| 14. | Level 3 – C | 4.2.2.3 | 4.2.2.4 |
| 15. | Level 3 – D | 4.2.2.5 | 4.2.2.6 |
| 16. | Tiscali | 212.74.114.129 | 212.74.114.193 |
| 17. | Fast Broadband | 78.143.192.10 | 78.143.192.20 |
| 18. | Time Warp | 217.149.108.10 | 217.149.108.11 |
| 19. | BSO Network | 212.73.209.34 | 212.73.209.35 |
| 20. | CenturyLink | 74.4.19.187 | 67.238.98.162 |
| 21. | FoolDNS | 87.118.111.215 | 80.79.54.55 |
| 22. | Cisco | 64.102.255.44 | – |
| 23. | China Telecom | 114.114.114.114 | 114.114.115.115 |
| 24. | Yandex Family | 77.88.8.7 | 77.88.8.3 |
| 25. | Yandex Safe | 77.88.8.88 | 77.88.8.2 |
| 26. | Norton ConnectSafe Secure | 199.85.126.20 | 199.85.127.20 |
| 27. | Norton ConnectSafe Family | 199.85.126.30 | 199.85.127.30 |
| 28. | Internap | 212.118.241.1 | 212.118.241.2 |
| 29. | Anonymous DNS – 1 | 86.64.145.140 | 86.64.145.143 |
| 30. | Anonymous DNS – 2 | 129.250.35.250 | 129.250.35.251 |
| 31. | Anonymous DNS – 3 | 80.118.196.36 | 80.118.196.42 |
| 32. | Anonymous DNS – 4 | 157.161.9.6 | 213.133.224.5 |
| 33. | oneDNS | 112.124.47.27 | 114.215.126.16 |
| 34. | OpenDNS Family | 208.67.222.123 | 208.67.220.123 |
| 35. | FoolDNS | 87.118.111.215 | 80.79.54.55 |
| 36. | CenturyLink DNS | 207.14.235.234 | 67.238.98.162 |
| 37. | AT&T DNS | 68.94.156.1 | 68.94.157.1 |
| 38. | Sprint | 204.97.212.10 | 204.117.214.10 |
| 39. | Zen Internet | 212.23.8.1 | 212.23.3.1 |
| 40. | Bulldog | 212.158.248.5 | 212.158.248.6 |
DNS Servers for IPv6:
| S.N | DNS PROVIDER | PREFERRED DNS SERVER | ALTERNATE DNS SERVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Google Public | 2001:4860:4860::8888 | 2001:4860:4860::8844 |
| 2. | Cesidian Root | 2001:470:6c:521::2 | 2001:470:6d:521::1 |
| 3. | Yandex Family | 2a02:6b8::feed:a11 | 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:a11 |
| 4. | Yandex Safe | 2a02:6b8::feed:bad | 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:bad |
| 5. | Yandex DNS | 2a02:6b8::feed:0ff | 2a02:6b8:0:1::feed:0ff |
| 6. | OpenDNS Sandbox | 2620:0:ccc::2 | 2620:0:ccd::2 |
| 7. | Censurfridns | 2001:67c:28a4:: | 2002:d596:2a92:1:71:53:: |
Wrapping Up
Using Public DNS servers instead of your default DNS servers provided by your ISP can boost your internet speed and enhance your web surfing experience. I always switch to Public DNS servers and I prefer to use Google DNS and sometimes OpenDNS. Now you can have lots of choices to choose DNS servers as per your choice.
Don’t forget to share your favorite DNS server in the comments below.
