Show HN: OllaDNS – An API-First DNS Security Platform Built for Developers
Most DNS security tools are built around web dashboards. They work well for clicking through settings, but they can become difficult to automate when your infrastructure grows.
While working on different developer tools, I kept running into the same problem. DNS policies were often managed manually, which made it harder to integrate them into CI/CD pipelines, version control, or AI-assisted workflows. That led to the idea of building OllaDNS.
The goal wasn't to replace existing DNS providers. Instead, it was to explore a different approach where configuration happens through APIs instead of a dashboard.
OllaDNS is an API-first DNS filtering platform that lets developers manage DNS policies programmatically. It supports modern encrypted DNS protocols such as DNS over HTTPS (DoH), DNS over TLS (DoT), and DNS over QUIC (DoQ). The platform also provides REST APIs and MCP tools so that automation scripts or AI coding assistants can interact with it directly.
Some of the things currently available include:
- DNS filtering for phishing and malware domains
- Custom allowlists and blocklists
- API-based policy management
- Audit logs for configuration changes
- Device-level DNS management
- REST API endpoints for automation
- MCP integration for AI-assisted workflows
One design decision that may be unusual is that configuration is intended to happen through APIs, while the dashboard is primarily for monitoring and reporting. This makes it easier to keep DNS configuration in source control and automate changes as part of deployment pipelines.
The project is still early. There are plenty of features that need improvement, and there are also limitations. For example, the service is currently available from a single US region, and native desktop or mobile clients are not available yet. Those are areas I plan to improve over time.
I'm mainly interested in feedback from developers, DevOps engineers, security teams, and anyone who manages DNS at scale.
Some questions I'd love opinions on:
- Would you manage DNS through APIs instead of a traditional dashboard?
- Are audit logs and version-controlled DNS policies important in your workflow?
- Would AI-assisted DNS management actually save time, or is it unnecessary complexity?
- What features would you expect before trying a platform like this?
If you'd like to explore the project or provide feedback, you can find it here:
I'm not claiming it's the best DNS platform or a replacement for established providers. It's simply an experiment in building a developer-first, API-driven approach to DNS security. I'd genuinely appreciate any feedback, criticism, or suggestions from the HN community.
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