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What Is Yandex DNS

Yandex DNS is a free public DNS service operated by Yandex, Russia's largest technology company. Launched in 2013, the service provides DNS resolution with optional content filtering through three distinct modes. Yandex DNS is particularly popular among Russian-speaking users because of its Russian-language support, local server presence, and integration with Yandex's broader ecosystem of services.

The service uses separate IP addresses for each filtering mode rather than a single resolver with configurable settings. This design makes it easy to switch between modes by simply changing the DNS server addresses on your device or router. Yandex DNS operates an anycast network with servers located primarily in Russia and neighboring countries, which gives Russian users lower latency compared to US-based or European DNS providers.

Yandex DNS supports standard unencrypted DNS on port 53 and has added DNS-over-TLS (DoT) and DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) support in recent years, making it one of the few non-Western DNS providers to offer encrypted DNS protocols.

Filtering Modes

Yandex DNS offers three filtering modes, each with its own pair of DNS server addresses. The Basic mode provides fast and reliable DNS resolution without any content filtering. It is suitable for users who want Yandex's infrastructure speed without security restrictions. The Safe mode blocks malicious and fraudulent websites using Yandex's security database. The Family mode blocks adult content in addition to malicious sites, making it suitable for households with children.

Basic Mode servers: 77.88.8.8 (primary), 77.88.8.1 (secondary). Safe Mode servers: 77.88.8.88 (primary), 77.88.8.2 (secondary). Family Mode servers: 77.88.8.7 (primary), 77.88.8.3 (secondary).

For encrypted DNS, Yandex supports DoT at dns.yandex.net (port 853) and DoH at https://common.dot.dns.yandex.net/dns-query. The same filtering modes apply when using encrypted endpoints.

Performance for Russian Users

Yandex DNS is optimized for users in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In testing from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk, Yandex DNS consistently delivers response times of 3-8 milliseconds — significantly faster than Cloudflare (10-15 ms), Google (12-20 ms), or Quad9 (15-25 ms) from Russian locations. This speed advantage comes from Yandex's dense server presence within Russia's internet infrastructure.

For users outside Russia and the CIS, Yandex DNS performance drops substantially. In Western Europe, response times average 30-50 ms. In North America and Asia-Pacific, response times exceed 80-120 ms, making Yandex DNS impractical as a primary resolver outside its home region. Users outside Russia should select a DNS provider with local infrastructure in their region.

Setup Guide

Configuring Yandex DNS follows the same process as any DNS resolver. On Windows, go to Network & Internet settings, select your connection, and manually enter the DNS addresses for your chosen filtering mode. On macOS, navigate to System Settings, Network, and add the addresses under the DNS tab. On Android, go to Wi-Fi network settings and change DNS to static mode. On iOS, configure DNS under Wi-Fi settings.

For encrypted DNS on Android, set Private DNS to dns.yandex.net. On Windows 11, select Encrypted only (DNS over HTTPS) and enter https://common.dot.dns.yandex.net/dns-query. For routers, enter the standard DNS addresses under WAN or Internet DNS settings.

Privacy Considerations

Yandex DNS is operated by Yandex LLC, a Russian company subject to Russian Federation data protection laws. Russia's data retention and surveillance laws differ substantially from those in the European Union or the United States. Yandex's privacy policy states that it may log DNS query data for service improvement and security analysis. Users with privacy-sensitive requirements should carefully consider whether Russian jurisdiction is acceptable for their DNS traffic.

Yandex publishes a transparency report detailing government requests for user data. The company has stated it does not sell DNS data to third parties and does not use DNS queries for advertising targeting. However, as with any free DNS service operated by an advertising-funded company, users should evaluate the privacy tradeoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Reading

• DNS Speed Test — Benchmark 17+ Resolvers
• Best DNS for Russia
• DNS Providers Comparison

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