DNS over HTTPS is a relatively new Internet security protocol that promises increased privacy and security. But how does it work? Will you exchange a fast internet for your privacy?
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What is DNS over HTTPS?
DNS over HTTPS (or simply DoH) is a security protocol that allows you to send and receive Domain Name System (DNS) requests over a Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (or simply HTTPS from Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). DoH encrypts all DNS records, which could be targeted to reveal information about your online activity as well as your physical location.
Most major browsers, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Safari, and Opera, have built-in support for DoH. As for Firefox, it has enabled DoH by default for all desktop users based in the US since 2019.
How does DNS over HTTPS work?
The role of DoH begins with every request for the IP address of a website or domain that your browser sends. The DNS server converts the website name – what you type into the address bar at the top of your browser – into a unique IP address that corresponds to the website's servers.
Once the IP address is sent back, your browser uses HTTPS, or HTTP if the connection is not secure, and asks for the IP address to access the desired sites. This is a long and tedious process, and most browsers and websites use cache data to make it faster.
You may have noticed that the encrypted connection only comes after DNS completes its role, leaving some of your data vulnerable to trackers and intruders. Using DoH, all DNS requests are enclosed in HTTPS sessions.
Is DNS over HTTPS slower?
Most of the time, privacy and security come at a cost. Here the cost is the reduction of connection speeds. After all, more data is needed for encryption and decryption, so it's natural for secure communication to take a little longer than unsecured.
Compared to other DNS encryption protocols, DoH has one of the longest page load and standby times. However, the differences are very small. How fast your DoH performs depends on DNS providers such as Cloudflare and Google.
Can encrypted DNS be fast?
Understanding how to protect your online business and keep it safe from prying eyes is understandable. DoH can negatively affect your connection speeds, this is not the case for all encrypted DNS security protocols.
A variation of encrypted DNS is DoT, which stands for DNS over TLS or Transport Layer Security, a modern variation of SSL. DoT does the same job as DoH in keeping your connection secure and private.
The main difference is that DoT performs faster than DNS in the median response time for some clients, although there has been a slight increase in latency. However, recent research has found that the performance of DoT, DoH, and non-encrypted DNS varies by client, and that no protocol excels in all trials and circumstances.
Is the extra safety worth the slight speed reduction?
When it comes to choosing the Internet security protocol you want to use, you need to ask yourself the right questions. Whether DoH is right for you depends on whether you want more privacy and security for your browsing, even if it is a little slower.
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