This component provides a flexible DNS resolution system for ESP32 devices with support for multiple DNS protocols. It allows applications to resolve domain names using various transport methods, including standard UDP/TCP DNS, and securely resolve them using DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH).
- Features
- Requirements
- How to Use
- Configuration
- Certificate Options
- Limitations
- Performance Considerations
- How It Works
- Troubleshooting
-
Multiple Protocol Support Choose from various DNS protocols:
- Standard UDP DNS (Port 53)
- TCP DNS (Port 53)
- DNS over TLS (DoT) (Port 853)
- DNS over HTTPS (DoH) (Port 443)
-
Secure DNS Resolution: Supports encrypted DNS queries using TLS and HTTPS to protect privacy and prevent DNS spoofing.
-
Flexible Configuration: Easily configure DNS servers, ports, timeouts, and protocol-specific options.
-
LWIP Integration: Seamlessly integrates with the ESP-IDF networking stack through LWIP hooks.
-
Standard getaddrinfo() Interface: Use the standard
getaddrinfo()
function to resolve domain names.
- ESP-IDF v5.0 or newer
- Network connectivity (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
- For DoT/DoH: Sufficient RAM for TLS operations
To enable custom DNS resolution, configure the CONFIG_LWIP_HOOK_NETCONN_EXT_RESOLVE_CUSTOM
setting either through menuconfig or by adding CONFIG_LWIP_HOOK_NETCONN_EXT_RESOLVE_CUSTOM=y
to your sdkconfig.defaults
file to pre-set the configuration during the build process.
Initialize the DNS component with your preferred configuration:
#include "esp_dns.h"
/* Configure DNS over HTTPS */
esp_dns_config_t dns_config = {
.dns_server = "dns.google", /* DNS server hostname or IP address */
.port = ESP_DNS_DEFAULT_DOH_PORT, /* Optional: Server port (443 is default for HTTPS) */
.timeout_ms = ESP_DNS_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS, /* Optional: Request timeout in milliseconds (10000ms default) */
.tls_config = {
/* Optional: Use ESP-IDF certificate bundle for validating popular DNS providers */
.crt_bundle_attach = esp_crt_bundle_attach,
/* Or provide a custom certificate in PEM format (string) for your DNS server */
/* Note: Only PEM format is supported; DER format certificates are not supported yet */
.cert_pem = server_root_cert_pem_start,
/* Note: If both crt_bundle_attach and cert_pem are provided,
crt_bundle_attach is preferred over cert_pem */
},
.protocol_config.doh_config = {
.url_path = "/dns-query", /* Optional: DoH endpoint path on the server ("/dns-query" default) */
}
};
/* Initialize DNS component based on protocol */
esp_dns_handle_t dns_handle = NULL;
/* Call esp_dns_init_doh() to use DNS over HTTPS */
dns_handle = esp_dns_init_doh(&dns_config);
/* or Call esp_dns_init_dot() to use DNS over TLS */
dns_handle = esp_dns_init_dot(&dns_config);
/* or Call esp_dns_init_tcp() to use DNS over TCP */
dns_handle = esp_dns_init_tcp(&dns_config);
/* or Call esp_dns_init_udp() to use DNS over UDP */
dns_handle = esp_dns_init_udp(&dns_config);
if (dns_handle == NULL) {
ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Failed to initialize DNS");
return;
}
Once initialized, the component automatically handles DNS resolution through the standard getaddrinfo()
function:
struct addrinfo hints = {
.ai_family = AF_UNSPEC,
.ai_socktype = SOCK_STREAM,
};
struct addrinfo res;
int err = getaddrinfo("www.example.com", "80", &hints, &res);
if (err != 0) {
ESP_LOGE(TAG, "DNS lookup failed: %d", err);
return;
}
/* Use the resolved addresses */
/* ... */
/* Free the address info when done */
freeaddrinfo(res);
When you're done using the DNS component, clean up resources based on the protocol used:
int ret = 0;
/* Call esp_dns_cleanup_doh() to cleanup DNS over HTTPS */
ret = esp_dns_cleanup_doh(dns_handle);
/* or Call esp_dns_cleanup_dot() to cleanup DNS over TLS */
ret = esp_dns_cleanup_dot(dns_handle);
/* or Call esp_dns_cleanup_tcp() to cleanup DNS over TCP */
ret = esp_dns_cleanup_tcp(dns_handle);
/* or Call esp_dns_cleanup_udp() to cleanup DNS over UDP */
ret = esp_dns_cleanup_udp(dns_handle);
if (ret != 0) {
ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Failed to cleanup DNS");
}
- Navigate to your project directory.
- Execute
idf.py menuconfig
. - Locate the Component config -> LWIP -> Hooks -> Netconn external resolve Hook section.
- Change the setting to
Custom implementation
.
Parameter | Description | Default Value |
---|---|---|
dns_server |
IP address or hostname of DNS server | "8.8.8.8" (Google DNS) |
port |
Server port number | Protocol-dependent (53, 853, or 443) |
timeout_ms |
Query timeout in milliseconds | 10000 (10 seconds) |
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
crt_bundle_attach |
Function pointer to attach certificate bundle |
server_cert |
SSL server certificate in PEM format |
alpn_protos |
ALPN protocols for DoH (typically "h2" ) |
- URL Path: URL path for DoH service (e.g., "/dns-query")
When using secure DNS protocols (DoT and DoH), you have two certificate options:
- Certificate Bundle: Use ESP-IDF's certificate bundle for validating connections to popular DNS providers.
- Custom Certificate: Provide your own certificate in PEM format for custom DNS servers.
-
The UDP DNS protocol implementation relies on the native LWIP DNS resolver.
-
Transport protocol selection must be configured through
esp_dns_init_xxx()
rather thangetaddrinfo()
parameters due to LWIP resolver hook limitations. -
Maximum response size is limited by the buffer size (default: 512 bytes) for DNS over TLS (DOT) and TCP protocols.
-
Only one DNS protocol can be active at a time.
-
Resolution Speed:
- UDP DNS is fastest but least secure
- DoH typically has the highest latency but offers the best security
- Memory Usage: DoH and DoT require more memory due to TLS overhead:
TBD: Fill in the memory usage for each protocol
This component utilizes the CONFIG_LWIP_HOOK_NETCONN_EXT_RESOLVE_CUSTOM
hook to override the core DNS functionality of LWIP and implement custom DNS over HTTPS resolution. To enable this, ensure that the configuration option Component config → LWIP → Hooks → Netconn external resolve Hook
is set to Custom implementation
.
Once you add this component to your project, it will replace the default LWIP DNS resolution automatically.
CONFIG_LWIP_HOOK_NETCONN_EXT_RESOLVE_CUSTOM
hook.
-
Connection Issues:
- Ensure network connectivity and correct DNS server configuration
- Verify that your network allows the required ports (53, 853, or 443)
-
Certificate Errors:
- Verify that the correct certificate is provided for secure protocols
- For public DNS servers, use the certificate bundle approach
-
Timeout Errors:
- Increase the timeout value for slow network connections
- Try a different DNS server that might be geographically closer
-
Memory Issues:
- If you encounter memory errors, consider increasing the task stack size
- For memory-constrained devices, prefer UDP DNS.