Quick Answers

What Is a DNS Leak?

A DNS leak happens when your device looks up website names through your own ISP instead of through the proxy or VPN, revealing which sites you visit and where you are.

By Team of Monkeys Editorial Updated 1 min read Affiliate disclosure

This guide contains affiliate links to Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What Is a DNS Leak illustration: a DNS leak happens when your device looks up website names through your own ISP instead of through the proxy or VPN, revealing which sites you visit and where you are 3jdej38j4

The short answer

Before your browser can load example.com, it asks a DNS server for the site's IP address. If that question goes to your ISP's DNS instead of through the proxy, you have a DNS leak: the ISP (and sometimes the site, through geo clues) learns more than you intended.

The usual fix

  • With SOCKS5, use remote DNS: socks5h:// in curl and Python, or "Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5" in Firefox.
  • HTTP proxies resolve names at the proxy automatically for proxied requests.
  • Encrypted DNS (DNS over HTTPS) also stops your ISP reading lookups.
Your browser leaves fingerprints, even behind a proxy (animated GIF) 3jdej38j4
Your browser leaves fingerprints, even behind a proxy. GIF via Tenor

Also known as

DNS lookup leak, resolver leak.

Learn more

Affiliate disclosure: Team of Monkeys is an affiliate of Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte. Links and banners marked as sponsored, and links to Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte in the text, use our referral links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our explanations and comparisons are written to be useful whichever provider you choose.

Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.
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