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Every website on the Internet gets a unique IP address. The IP address is the original place where you can find that website. Initially, people could access a website only by typing its IP address in the address bar of a browser. But remembering the IP address was not easy for human being. So, they started using domain names. The domain name is the alternate address of a website. For example, you need to type google.com to access it. Now, think if you needed to remember its IP address. That could be impossible. As I said, domain name is an alternate address and Internet still works on IP address. So, all our domain requests are being mapped to IP addresses by DNS servers. It means, it still uses the IP address to connect us with a website.
How does browser know what IP to open for a domain name?
The answer is DNS server. DNS server plays an important role in web browsing. It keeps records of IP address and corresponding domain name. In this article I will talk about DNS server and its effects on web browsing. I will also share a list of best public DNS servers that are free to use and improve web browsing by offering faster page load.
What Is A DNS Server?
DNS stands for Domain Name System that maps IP address with a domain name. When you type google.com, requests for go to DNS server that resolves the request to IP address. The request goes to that IP address for getting the response from the server. Servers that resolves a domain name to IP addresses are called DNS servers. ISPs either use their own DNS servers or partner with any good DNS service providers.
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This photo will make it clear how a web browsing request uses DNS server for giving us access of the website.
Image source: wikimedia.org
DNS does not directly affect your web browsing or Internet speed, but it can influence how fast a web page appears on your computer. It does not affect download speed but It affects the web browsing. Now you now know that the time is taken in a web page loading also includes the time taken by DNS server response. If your ISP starts using a fast DNS server in place of its own DNS server, your browsing can be improved. Faster DNS servers respond faster andsaves few mili seconds of web page loading.
There are several public DNS servers that offer faster results as compared to default DNS server of your ISP. If you manually configure your router or system to use any of the fast public DNS servers, you can improve your web browsing.
In this table, I am listing the fastest free Public DNS servers that you can use and enjoy faster web browsing.
15 Best DNS Servers
Here is the list of best public DNS servers. You can use the given DNS server IP address for configuring your system.
| DNS Provider Name | Primary DNS Server | Secondary DNS Server |
|---|---|---|
| 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 | |
| OpenDNS Home | 208.67.222.222 | 208.67.220.220 |
| DNS.WATCH | 84.200.69.80 | 84.200.70.40 |
| Level3 | 209.244.0.3 | 209.244.0.4 |
| Verisign | 64.6.64.6 | 64.6.65.6 |
| Comodo Secure DNS | 8.26.56.26 | 8.20.247.20 |
| Norton ConnectSafe | 199.85.126.10 | 199.85.127.10 |
| GreenTeamDNS | 81.218.119.11 | 209.88.198.133 |
| SafeDNS | 195.46.39.39 | 195.46.39.40 |
| OpenNIC | 23.94.60.240 | 128.52.130.209 |
| SmartViper | 208.76.50.50 | 208.76.51.51 |
| UncensoredDNS | 91.239.100.100 | 89.233.43.71 |
| Dyn | 216.146.35.35 | 216.146.36.36 |
| FreeDNS | 37.235.1.174 | 37.235.1.177 |
| Alternate DNS | 198.101.242.72 | 23.253.163.53 |
Note: Primary DNS servers are also called preferred DNS servers and secondary DNS servers are also called alternate DNS servers. Take of this thing while doing changes in the settings of your router or system.
If you are not sure how to configure these DNS servers in your system, you can read our article on How to use Open DNS on your router or system? This article was on OpenDNS. The process remains the same. You just need to change the DNS server address for other DNS server.
How to use Public DNS servers on your computer?
If you have selected one public DNS server, you need to use the primary and secondary DNS server addresses in your computer’s network settings. Different operating systems have different ways of doing this. Here, I am listing ways to do this on Windows and MacOS.
Windows
If you are using Windows computer you can edit the DNS settings of your internet connection by control panel. Go to control panel and select Network and sharing center. Here, open Network connection properties, select “Internet Protocol Version” properties and select “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
On Mac
Open System Preferences and tap on Network. Alternatively, you can also click on Wifi icon at top bar and select open “Network Preferences”. Here select the connection and go to Advanced. Select the DNS tab. Here, ad the DNS server addresses.
If you have multiple devices at home, you can change the DNS settings in router in place of changing it in individual devices. Different routers have different options to access the router panel. So, I am not going into the detail of that. If you have any confusion regarding changing the DNS on your router, you can ask in comments.
Many of the above listed DNS service providers also offer additional services like parental control and more. Google Public DNS has been helping Internet since December 2008. OpenDNS is not just offering faster browsing but also offering home-based protection to keep your browsing safe. Norton ConnectSafe also keeps your browsing safe. It blocks Malware, phishing, and scam and Pornography by default. Comodo Secure DNS is also offering several security services along with DNS option.
You can explore all DNS servers to check what additional services they are offering.
Final Words
Now you also know why and how DNS affects web browsing. Most of the ISPs try to offer the faster DNS but public DNS always offer better and reliable services. Additional security options are also advantaging. So, it should be your decision whether you want to switch to any public DNS or you are happy with the default DNS server provided by your ISP.
Now you have a list of good public DNS. You can use any of these and see if your web browsing has improved. I personally use Google DNS server on my home network. It works best for you. But you can also explore others.
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