DNS Relay Server - Configure Local Cache

Eric Nix

• August 09, 2026 21:35

Does the DNS relay server support a local cache, and if so, how can this be configured?  I would like to cache DNS queries by 1-5 minutes.

print

• 

  Alisa Bailey

  • August 10, 2026 21:16

  Hi Eric Nix! The DNS Relay doesn't support local caching, and there's no setting in relay.conf to enable it.

  The reason for this is by design: the Relay needs to forward every lookup to DNSFilter so we can identify which device made the request, apply the correct filtering policy, and capture it in your reports. If the Relay answered from a local cache, those lookups would bypass filtering and never appear in your Query Log — so a 1–5 minute cache window would mean a 1–5 minute gap in both filtering and reporting.

  It's also worth knowing that we intentionally keep DNS TTLs short so that policy changes take effect quickly — local caching on the Relay would work against that.

  If you're looking to improve lookup speed, the good news is you can place a caching DNS server in front of the Relay — most networks already have one that does this by default. That gives you the speed benefit without impacting filtering or visibility.

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.