How to Install CoreDNS on Windows 11

CoreDNS is a flexible and powerful DNS server that can be used as a replacement for traditional DNS servers like BIND. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to install CoreDNS on Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you should have the following:

• A Windows 11 machine
• Administrative access to the machine

Installation Steps

1. Download the latest release of CoreDNS for Windows from the official website.
2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a location of your choice. For example, C:\CoreDNS.
3. Open the Corefile configuration file located in the extracted folder with a text editor.
4. Modify the Corefile to suit your DNS service requirements. For example, you can add a hosts plugin that reads a file of hostnames and IP addresses:

   .:53 {
     hosts {
       fallthrough
     }
     forward . 8.8.8.8:53
   }
   

5. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
6. Change the directory to where you extracted CoreDNS. For example, cd C:\CoreDNS.
7. Run the CoreDNS executable with the -conf flag pointing to the Corefile. For example, .\coredns.exe -conf .\Corefile
8. CoreDNS should be now running in the terminal.

Conclusion

You've successfully installed and configured CoreDNS on your Windows 11 machine. With the Corefile configured to your needs, it's now up to you to use CoreDNS as your DNS server.

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