Hickory DNS by hickory-dns
A Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver
About Hickory DNS
From the project's README at github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
[](https://github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/actions?query=workflow%3Atest) [](https://codecov.io/gh/hickory-dns/hickory-dns) [](LICENSE-MIT) [](LICENSE-APACHE) [](https://discord.gg/89nxE4n)
A Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver, built to be safe and secure from the ground up.
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 5.2k | github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns |
| GitHub forks | 580 | github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns |
| CRATES downloads (last month) | 1.6k | hickory-dns |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 10.8 years | since Aug 2015 |
| Last commit | 2 days ago | May 5, 2026 |
| Releases shipped | 87 | last: 6 days ago |
| Security policy | SECURITY.md | declared by maintainers |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
Security advisories
CVE-2025-25188. What people say on Hacker News
- Hickory-DNS: a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver
- Google Gemini app does not respect chat history preferences
- Gemini users report chat history disappeared from sidebar (acknowledged)
- Show HN: Agent-fetch – Sandboxed HTTP client with SSRF protection for AI agents
- Show HN: CSR vs. SSR Detector
Ready to self-host Hickory DNS?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
Similar open-source projects
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