What Is DNS over HTTPS (DoH)?

What DNS over HTTPS is

DNS over HTTPS, or DoH, is a technology that encrypts the DNS lookups your device makes when translating website names into the numerical addresses computers use. Normally, these lookups happen in the open, where others on the network can see which sites you are looking up. DoH wraps them in the same encryption that secures web traffic, keeping them private. It is a privacy and security improvement to one of the internet's most fundamental and previously unprotected systems.

The problem it solves

Every time you visit a website, your device first asks a DNS server to translate the site's name into an IP address. Traditionally, these DNS requests were unencrypted, meaning your internet provider, network operators, or anyone snooping on the network could see every site you looked up, even on otherwise secure (HTTPS) connections. This leaked a detailed record of your browsing. DoH addresses this privacy gap by encrypting those lookups so they can no longer be casually observed.

How it works

DNS over HTTPS sends your DNS queries inside encrypted HTTPS connections, the same secure protocol used for websites, rather than as plain, visible requests. Because the lookups travel over HTTPS, they blend in with normal secure web traffic and cannot be easily read or tampered with by others on the network. Your device sends its DNS questions to a DoH-capable server over this encrypted channel, and gets the answers back securely. The translation still happens; it is just now private.

Benefits and trade-offs

DoH's main benefit is privacy: it hides your DNS lookups from network snoops, making it harder to track or tamper with which sites you visit. It can also improve security by preventing certain attacks that manipulate DNS responses. However, it has trade-offs and has sparked debate. It can complicate network management and content filtering that rely on seeing DNS, and it concentrates DNS queries at whichever provider you use, raising questions about trusting that provider instead.

DoH in practice

DNS over HTTPS has been adopted by major web browsers and operating systems, often available as a privacy setting you can enable. When turned on, your DNS lookups are encrypted automatically. Because of the debates around network management and provider trust, its default behavior varies between products and regions. Understanding that DoH exists, and that you may be able to enable it, lets you make an informed choice about this aspect of your browsing privacy.

Why it matters

DNS over HTTPS addresses a longstanding privacy gap in how the internet works, encrypting the lookups that reveal which sites you visit. Understanding it clarifies how much information DNS traditionally exposed, how encryption closes that gap, and the trade-offs involved. As privacy becomes a bigger concern, DoH is an increasingly relevant technology, and knowing what it does helps you make informed decisions about your own online privacy.

Related on Skillo

See also: What is DNS? How the internet's phonebook works, What is public key cryptography? Explained.

Sources

• DNS over HTTPS - Wikipedia

Published date reflects the original event date (2023-11-07). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.