Free DNS
Practical reasons why DNS is essential for website owners
Free DNS Service
We provide a free DNS service that lets you manage domain records through our simple web interface or API. This service works with domains registered anywhere, not just those registered through 1984.
What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names like “example.com” into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other. We maintain DNS servers that respond to queries about your domain and direct visitors to the correct location.
Features of our DNS service
- Full management of A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other record types
- Unlimited number of records per domain
- Secondary DNS with AXFR zone transfers
- Anycast DNS network for reliability and speed
- Web interface and API access
- IPv6 support
- No artificial limits on TTL values
Why host DNS with us?
We built this service because we believe in an open internet where basic infrastructure is accessible to everyone. Our DNS service:
- Runs on our infrastructure in Iceland
- Operates under Icelandic jurisdiction, which has strong privacy laws
- Uses the same reliable systems that power our paid hosting services
- Has no hidden costs or upgrade requirements
Technical details
Our DNS servers maintain 99.9% uptime with redundant systems across our data centers. We use industry-standard software that we keep updated and patched. Response times average under 30ms within Europe.
How to set up DNS with us
- Create an account if you don’t already have one
- Add your domain in our control panel
- Set up your DNS records
- Update your domain’s nameservers at your registrar to:
- ns1.1984.is
- ns2.1984.is
Changes typically propagate within minutes, though complete global propagation can take up to 48 hours depending on TTL settings.
Privacy considerations
We don’t log DNS queries beyond what’s necessary for technical operation and abuse prevention. Unlike some free DNS providers, we don’t analyze query patterns for marketing purposes or sell this data to third parties.
Free DNS features
| FreeDNS Features | |
|---|---|
| Currently Available | |
| A records Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address (e.g., example.com to 93.184.216.34) | ✓ |
| AAAA records Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address (e.g., example.com to 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946) | ✓ |
| CAA records Specifies which Certificate Authorities are allowed to issue certificates for a domain | ✓ |
| CNAME records Creates an alias from one domain name to another (e.g., www.example.com to example.com) | ✓ |
| MX records Specifies mail servers responsible for accepting email for a domain | ✓ |
| SRV records Defines the location of servers for specific services (e.g., SIP, XMPP) | ✓ |
| TXT records Stores text information associated with a domain, often used for verification purposes | ✓ |
| SSHFP records Stores SSH public key fingerprints for a host, allowing secure verification | ✓ |
| DNSSEC DNS Security Extensions - adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records to prevent spoofing | ✓ |
| TLSA records Associates a TLS/SSL certificate with a domain name for additional security | ✓ |
| Web redirects | ✓ |
| Dynamic DNS Allows automatic updates of DNS records when your IP address changes | ✓ |
| On the Forever Growing Todo List | |
| PTR/Reverse Zones Maps IP addresses back to domain names, the opposite of A/AAAA records | Planned |
| API for Let's Encrypt authentication Automated API integration with Let's Encrypt for certificate issuance and renewal | Wanted/Desired |
Limitations
Our free DNS service doesn’t include advanced features like:
- DNSSEC (available on our paid plans)
- Geo-routing
- Health checks and failover
We may implement request rate limiting to prevent abuse, but typical usage won’t reach these limits.
Need help?
If you have questions about setting up DNS records or transferring from another provider, contact our support team. Many of us still prefer support in Icelandic, though we handle English requests just as quickly.