Technitium DNS — Installation & Setup Guide

Technitium is a lightweight, open-source DNS server and a fantastic alternative to Pi-hole or AdGuard Home. It handles ad blocking, authoritative DNS, and recursive lookups natively — no extra tools like Unbound required. It runs seamlessly on Linux, Docker, and Windows.

Technitium DNS — Installation \& Setup Guide

Method 1 — Linux / Raspberry Pi (Automated Script)

Best for: Dedicated VMs (Ubuntu/Debian) or a Raspberry Pi.

⚠️ Important: Modern Linux distros use systemd-resolved, a built-in stub resolver that occupies Port 53. The Technitium installer script will automatically stop and disable it so Technitium can take over.

1. Update your system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Run the official installation script:

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

3. Verify the service is running:

The service runs natively via systemd. Check its status with:

sudo systemctl status dns.service

4. Update your Technitium Dns:

Just re-run the install script…

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

Method 2 — Docker / Docker Compose

Best for: Homelabs already running a container environment.

1. Create a dedicated directory:

mkdir technitium-dns && cd technitium-dns

2. Create a docker-compose.yml file:

nano docker-compose.yml

3. Paste the following configuration (adjust the timezone as needed):

version: '3'
services:
  dns-server:
    container_name: technitium-dns
    image: technitium/dns-server:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "5380:5380/tcp"   # Web GUI (HTTP)
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York   # Change to your timezone
    volumes:
      - ./config:/etc/dns/config

4. Start the container:

docker compose up -d

Method 3 — Windows Installer

Best for: Quick testing or environments integrated with Windows Server.

Go to the Official Technitium Download Page.
Download the Windows (Setup) zip file.
Extract the contents and run DnsServerSetup.exe.
If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unrecognized app, click More Info → Run Anyway.
Follow the setup wizard using the default parameters.

Once complete, Technitium will run in the background as a Windows Service.

Initial Web Console Setup

All management happens through Technitium’s web interface.

Open your browser and navigate to:
```
http://<YOUR-SERVER-IP>:5380
```
(Use http://localhost:5380 if running locally.)
First Login: Technitium will auto-login to the dashboard on first launch.
Change your password immediately — a prompt will appear asking you to set a secure admin password. Do not skip this step.

Recommended Next Steps

Step	Where	What to do
Set up forwarders	Settings → Proxy & Forwarders	Add upstream DNS providers like Cloudflare (`1.1.1.1`) or Quad9 (`9.9.9.9`)
Enable ad blocking	Settings → Blocking	Paste in blocklists such as StevenBlack’s lists for network-wide ad & malware protection
Update your router	Router’s DHCP settings	Set the primary DNS server IP to your Technitium server’s IP to protect your whole network

Adding DNS Forwarders

A DNS forwarder tells Technitium to send unresolved queries to a public upstream DNS provider. This is typically faster than recursive root-server lookups, because providers like Cloudflare and Quad9 maintain massive caches.

Step 1 — Open Forwarder Settings

Access your dashboard at http://<YOUR-SERVER-IP>:5380.
Click the Settings tab at the top.
In the left sidebar, click Proxy & Forwarders.

Step 2 — Configure Upstream DNS

In the Forwarders section, enter your preferred upstream DNS servers (one IP per line):

Provider	Primary IP	Secondary IP	Notes
Cloudflare	`1.1.1.1`	`1.0.0.1`	Speed-focused, privacy-first
Quad9	`9.9.9.9`	`149.112.112.112`	Built-in security & malware blocking
Google	`8.8.8.8`	`8.8.4.4`	Highly reliable, fast global routing

💡 Privacy Tip: Change the Forwarder Protocol dropdown to DNS-over-TLS (DoT) or DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) for encrypted queries. If you do, format the address accordingly — e.g., tls://1.1.1.1 for Cloudflare DoT.

Step 3 — Save and Apply

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the green Save Settings button.

Step 4 — Test the Forwarder

Click the Dashboard tab at the top.
Open the built-in DNS Client tool on the right side.
Enter any domain (e.g., google.com) and click Resolve.
A successful result returning an IP address with a fast response time (in milliseconds) confirms your forwarder is working correctly. ✅

Guide covers Technitium DNS — open source, free, and actively maintained at technitium.com.