Free DNS Services / Free Domain Name Servers
Free DNS nameservers for your static IP / dynamic IP addresses
Free Dynamic and Static DNS Services and Domain Name Servers
This page lists free DNS services that provide your site with nameservers. Some also provide name servers for websites that have a dynamic IP address, as opposed to a static (dedicated) IP address.
Note that if all you want is to get a domain name, read How to Register Your Own Domain Name instead. In addition, if your purpose of getting a domain is to start a website, please see How to Make / Create Your Own Website as well. You don't really need the things listed on this page for a normal website.
What are Static/Dynamic DNS and Why Do I Want Them?
When you host your website on a commercial web host, or even a free one, you will usually get a static IP address for your website — that is, an IP address that doesn't change. (IP addresses are the like street addresses on the Internet.) Although web hosts typically provide the name servers for your domain name hosted on their servers, you may sometimes want to outsource your DNS so that you can freely manage your own domain names (such as when you want the freedom to create new subdomain names that reside on different web hosts). Some people outsource their DNS because they have numerous servers in diverse locations answering to the same domain name (for load balancing) and thus have more sophisticated DNS needs than the typical site (in this case, they may want something known as round robin DNS). Still others simply don't want to put all their eggs in one basket.
Dynamic IP addresses are usually used for websites hosted on someone's personal computer that are only connected to the Internet when the owner connects to his/her Internet provider. The Internet provider gives that computer an IP address that is different every time it connects. If this is your situation, you will need a dynamic DNS service that will update your nameservers with the new IP address each time you log in.
Another use for free DNS services like those listed below is when you have registered your own domain name in order to reserve it for future use, but don't have a website to point it to (yet). Some of the free DNS services allow you to park your domain at any of your existing websites. That said, these days, most (if not all) domain registrars provide such a service free for all their customers.
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Free DNS Services and DNS Servers for Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
- spDYN - Securepoint Dynamic DNS Service
This service, spDYN, provides dynamic DNS services for up to 5 free hostnames. You can choose subdomains from 10 of their domain names for your server. Unfortunately, the site is in German, with no English version, so if you can't read the language, you will probably need it translated (any one of the free translation services around will probably do the trick).
- ClouDNS.net Free DNS hosting
This free DNS service allows you to set up an unlimited number of DNS records (A, MX, CNAME, TXT, NS, AAAA and SRV) for a maximum of 3 domains. They have DNS servers in both Europe and America, provide statistics on the number of DNS requests your domains has received, supports round robin DNS, dynamic DNS, wildcard domain DNS, 3 mail forwards, web redirection, etc. They also support dynamic DNS.
- Hurricane Electric Free DNS service
This free DNS service features geographically diverse DNS servers, provides both queries via IPv4 and native IPv6, and allows you to manage the DNS for multiple domains. You can manage your domain's A, AAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV and TXT records. They are also provide dynamic DNS for those who need it. (Note: the main page of the site mentions some sort of "Open Beta", so I'm not sure if this service is free because it's in beta testing, or free because it's intended to be a free service.)
- FreeDNS - Free DNS, Dynamic DNS, Static DNS
Afraid.org's FreeDNS provides free dynamic and static DNS. You can create DNS entries for an unlimited number of domains and up to 20 subdomains per account. Subdomain names from your domain, unfortunately, are also free for others to use for their websites. If you set your status to "Private", others will still be able to use subdomains from your domain name, but you'll be allowed to screen them. Note though, even before you accept or reject the application, that website will be "live" on the Internet. This service also provides web redirection, including URL cloaking.
- No-IP Dynamic DNS, Static DNS for your Dynamic IP
No-IP offers you Dynamic DNS so that you can run up to 3 hostnames from your own computer. They provide you with a short hostnames (like yourname.ddns.net) that you can redirect to your existing website, ie, URL redirection. The free service is only for personal use.
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Free Dynamic and Static DNS Services and Name Servers
