CoreDNS vs SmartDNS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CoreDNS
Flexible, plugin-based DNS server
VS
SmartDNS
Local DNS server that picks the fastest results
| Feature | CoreDNS | SmartDNS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,340 | ★ 11,314 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | BIND, dnsmasq | Pi-hole, dnsmasq |
What are CoreDNS and SmartDNS?
CoreDNS
CoreDNS is an open-source DNS server and forwarder built on a plugin architecture, and is the default DNS for Kubernetes. It can be self-hosted as a general-purpose DNS server with extensible behavior.
- Plugin-based architecture
- Kubernetes service discovery
- Multiple backends
- Lightweight
SmartDNS
SmartDNS is an open-source local DNS server that queries multiple upstream servers and returns the fastest responding result. It supports ad-blocking and encrypted DNS for self-hosted networks.
- Fastest-result resolution
- Ad-blocking support
- DoH and DoT upstreams
- Runs on routers
CoreDNS vs SmartDNS: key differences
CoreDNS is written in Go, while SmartDNS is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CoreDNS versus GPL-3.0 for SmartDNS. SmartDNS is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for CoreDNS. CoreDNS is the more established project (first released 2016), while SmartDNS arrived in 2018. CoreDNS lists first-class Docker deployment; SmartDNS does not.
Why pick each one
Choose CoreDNS if…
- Simple Corefile configuration
- Single Go binary
- Kubernetes default DNS
Watch out for
- Fewer features than BIND
- Plugin order matters
Choose SmartDNS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 11.3k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CoreDNS or SmartDNS better?
Neither is universally better. CoreDNS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CoreDNS and SmartDNS free and open-source?
Yes. CoreDNS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SmartDNS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CoreDNS and SmartDNS with Docker?
CoreDNS: yes. SmartDNS: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, CoreDNS or SmartDNS?
SmartDNS has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for CoreDNS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.