Glossary · Web tech

DNS-over-HTTPS

Also calleddohdns over httpsencrypted dns

Definition

DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) sends DNS queries wrapped in HTTPS — hiding domain lookups from your ISP and network operator.

Explanation

In depth

DoH runs DNS queries over an HTTPS connection to a resolver like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8). To network observers, DoH traffic looks like ordinary HTTPS to those resolvers — indistinguishable from web browsing. Firefox enables DoH by default in some regions; Chrome supports it opt-in; Windows 11 has native support. DoH defeats ISP-level DNS logging and DNS-based blocking, but not IP-level or DPI-based filtering. It also does not hide the destination sites entirely — TLS SNI (the domain of the site your browser connects to over HTTPS) is still visible unless ECH is deployed. DoH is useful complement to a proxy or VPN, not a replacement.

Related terms

DNSDNS is the internet's address book — it translates human-readable domain names like anyproxy.site into IP addresses computers use to connect.TLS SNITLS Server Name Indication (SNI) is a field in the TLS handshake that names the destination hostname — visible to any network observer even when the connection itself is encrypted.ESNI / ECHEncrypted Client Hello (ECH) hides the TLS SNI hostname from network observers — the modern replacement for the earlier ESNI proposal.DNS filteringDNS filtering blocks websites by making the DNS resolver return a fake response — the cheapest and most common first-line censorship tool.

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