Ideal for SREs, network engineers, and anyone tuning DNS for production workloads.
π TL;DR
Most DNS benchmark articles run a one-time lookup test β which often misleads.
This study performs continuous RTT monitoring over 24 hours across six DNS services simultaneously, enabling multi-target correlation to separate DNS performance from ISP or routing effects.
Key takeaway: Google (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) and Cloudflare (1.0.0.1) offer the flattest day-long stability. Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 shows occasional Anycast routing-driven latency spikes.
Unlike typical one-time DNS speed comparisons, this analysis uses 24-hour monitoring across 6 targets simultaneously to distinguish network issues from DNS provider performance.
The first comprehensive guide to multi-target DNS stability monitoring
I'll rewrite this as an English technical article for dev.to, maintaining the analytical depth and technical accuracy.
The most stable baseline:
- 8.8.8.8 (consistently 6.0β6.3 ms, minimal jitter).
- 1.0.0.1 / 8.8.4.4 / 9.9.9.9 cluster around 6.3β6.8 ms with flat trends.
- 149.112.112.112 (Quad9) consistently runs +0.8β1.2 ms higher β a clear "step up."
- 1.1.1.1 alone showed isolated 9β11 ms spikes several times. Minimal correlation with other targets suggests Anycast/routing-side transient events.
Evening through night:
+0.2β0.3 ms baseline lift across all targets = typical traffic load impact.
Conclusion:
Stable operation throughout the day with negligible business impact. Multi-target correlation successfully isolated "ISP vs. destination" factors.
Purpose of This Analysis
The chart above (2025-10-20 JST) tracks ICMP probes sent at regular intervals from a single probe to six destinations, recording average RTT over time:
- 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare)
- 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare)
- 149.112.112.112 (Quad9)
- 8.8.4.4 (Google)
- 8.8.8.8 (Google)
- 9.9.9.9 (Quad9)
Goal: Avoid false conclusions from single-target anomalies by reading network state through multi-target correlation. Anycast DNS services are particularly sensitive to time-of-day and routing convergence, making multi-target observation a diagnostic fundamental.
How to Read the Chart (Quick Guide)
- Average RTT: Round-trip delay average. Line "height" indicates the baseline floor.
- Jitter (oscillation): Vertical amplitude. Lower = more stable user experience.
- Simultaneous spikes: Likely local/ISP congestion.
- Target-specific spikes: Possible Anycast node shift or route-specific transient.
Observations
1) Stability and Baselines
- 8.8.8.8: Lowest latency with minimal jitter. Maintains 6.0β6.3 ms.
- 1.0.0.1 / 8.8.4.4 / 9.9.9.9: Semi-stable cluster at 6.3β6.8 ms.
- 149.112.112.112: Consistently higher at ~7.2β7.6 ms, suggesting longer path length or different Anycast placement.
2) Spikes (Transient Outliers)
-
1.1.1.1 showed 9β11 ms spikes during late night and around 23:00 JST.
- No concurrent spikes on other targets β Strong indication of routing/Anycast-side factors, not ISP-wide issues.
- A small peak around 09:00 JST appeared across multiple targets β Short-lived congestion on near-side network.
3) Diurnal Variation
- Evening through night: +0.2β0.3 ms baseline lift across all targets.
- This falls within typical traffic increase range β no operational concern.
Interpretation & Implications
Multi-Target Observation Prevents Misdiagnosis
Monitoring a single public DNS alone risks false conclusions like "high latency = ISP degradation."
In this case, 1.1.1.1's isolated spikes were distinguished from ISP issues because other targets remained stable.
β Operational best practice: Use correlation across all targets as primary indicator.
Selecting Benchmark "Rulers"
- 8.8.8.8 is ideal for health benchmarking due to its low, stable baseline.
- Quad9 (149.112.112.112) consistently runs higher β useful for observing regional/path differences through baseline comparison.
Alert Design Considerations
- Threshold: Set per-target at "baseline mean + 3Ο" (respecting each target's natural baseline).
- All targets exceed threshold simultaneously: ISP or near-side network event.
- Only specific target exceeds: Route reconvergence, Anycast shift, or AS-level congestion.
- Pro tip: Run concurrent traceroute snapshots during events for easier post-mortem analysis.
Summary (Today's Findings)
Overall stability maintained with slight evening baseline lift. 1.1.1.1 exhibited brief spikes but no sustained ISP-side degradation detected. Multi-target correlation enabled rapid fault isolation.
Appendix: Quick Terminology
- RTT (Round-Trip Time): Time for packet to travel round-trip.
- Jitter: Variance in RTT. Directly impacts VoIP and real-time communication quality.
- Anycast DNS: Same IP advertised from multiple locations. Actual destination varies by proximity, routing, and load.
- 3Ο (three sigma): Outlier detection threshold assuming normal distribution.
About the Monitoring Setup
This analysis was conducted using a custom-built monitoring script running on Linux. The setup continuously pings multiple public DNS endpoints and logs RTT data for time-series analysis.
Tech Stack:
- Linux-based probe
- ICMP ping utilities
- Custom scripts for data collection and logging
- Graph generation: GeneralLLM/ChatGPT (visualizing raw data into time-series charts)
- Time-series data processing and analysis
The multi-target approach allows for rapid fault isolation by correlating latency patterns across different Anycast networks simultaneously.
About the Author
Network engineer and observability enthusiast based in Kawasaki, Japan. I focus on practical network monitoring, latency analysis, and building custom diagnostic tools to understand real-world internet infrastructure behavior.
I believe in multi-dimensional observability β never trust a single data point when you can correlate across multiple sources.
Interested in network monitoring and performance analysis?
Follow me for more insights on DNS infrastructure, latency optimization, and home-grown monitoring solutions.
If you also run DNS monitoring, which metrics do you care about most β latency, packet loss,
regional POP consistency, or DoH/DoT performance?
Iβd love to compare approaches in the comments.
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