MikroTik Router Configuration DNS Server Setup Guide

Have you ever experienced slow internet connection despite having a decent internet service provider and a fast internet package? If yes, the problem might not be with your internet service provider but with the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS is responsible for converting a website's URL into an IP address, allowing a device to connect to the website's server and access its content. In this post, we'll show you how to configure your MikroTik router as a DNS client and caching DNS server to speed up your internet connection.

MikroTik DNS Client and Caching DNS Server Configuration

What is MikroTik Router?

MikroTik Router is a popular router for small to medium businesses, providing various features and functionalities, one of which is the ability to serve as a DNS client and caching DNS server.

Why use a caching DNS server?

A caching DNS server stores frequently accessed DNS records in its cache so that subsequent requests for the same DNS records don't have to be sent to the upstream DNS server. This reduces the response time for DNS queries and speeds up internet access.

How to configure MikroTik Router as a DNS client and caching DNS server?

Follow these steps to configure your MikroTik Router:

Step 1: Configure DNS Client

Configure DNS client settings to specify the IP addresses of the upstream DNS servers your MikroTik router will use to resolve DNS queries.

Open Winbox or Webfig and log in to your MikroTik router.
Select IP > DNS from the left-side menu.
Click on the Settings tab.
In the Servers field, enter the IP addresses of the upstream DNS servers you want to use. You can use your internet service provider's DNS servers or popular public DNS servers like Google DNS or OpenDNS. Here, we'll use Google DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Check the Allow Remote Requests box to allow other devices on your network to use your router's DNS caching server.
Click Apply and OK to save the settings.

Step 2: Configure DNS Cache

Configure DNS cache settings to specify the maximum amount of memory your router can use for caching DNS records and the duration for which DNS records should be cached.

Go to IP > DNS > Cache from the left-side menu.
Click on the Settings tab.
In the Max Cache Size field, specify the maximum amount of memory your router can use for caching DNS records. The default value is 2048 KiB, but you can increase it to a higher value according to your router's available memory.
Specify the duration for which DNS records should be cached in the Cache Time field. The default value is 1d (one day), but you can decrease or increase it according to your preference. A shorter cache time will reduce the response time for DNS queries but will result in more requests to the upstream DNS server.
Click Apply and OK to save the settings.

Step 3: Test DNS Resolution

Test DNS resolution to see if your MikroTik router is using the specified upstream DNS servers and caching DNS records.

Go to IP > DNS > Tools from the left-side menu.
Click on the ping button and in the address field type a common website URL (e.g. www.google.com).
Click on the Start button to start the ping test.
Check the results to see if the ping is successful and the IP address is resolved. You should see a response time that is lower than the response time without the caching DNS server.
Click Close to exit the ping test.

Conclusion

Configuring your MikroTik router as a DNS client and caching DNS server has several benefits, including faster response times for DNS queries and reduced internet access time. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can configure your router to use popular public DNS servers like Google DNS and OpenDNS or your internet service provider's DNS servers.

To learn more about MikroTik router and other networking topics, stay tuned to our blog!