The latest articles on Forem by Joseph O. Frank (@frankovo). https://forem.com/frankovo https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3611371%2F43c71450-9d15-4dd9-a147-a411a2c4126e.jpeg https://forem.com/frankovo en Joseph O. Frank Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:13:34 +0000 https://forem.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool-v030-compare-rank-and-monitor-resolvers-475f https://forem.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool-v030-compare-rank-and-monitor-resolvers-475f <p>When I noticed my API calls were consistently 300ms slower than expected, I dug into the problem and found DNS resolution was the hidden culprit. That discovery led me to build the <strong>DNS Benchmark Tool</strong> — a Python CLI that helps developers, DevOps, and self‑hosters measure and compare DNS resolvers with real data.</p> <p>Version <strong>0.3.0</strong> just dropped, and it adds three powerful commands:</p> <ul> <li>🚀 <strong>top</strong> — quick ranking of resolvers by speed and reliability </li> <li>📊 <strong>compare</strong> — side‑by‑side benchmarking with detailed statistics and export options </li> <li>🔄 <strong>monitor</strong> — continuous performance tracking with alerts and logging </li> </ul> <h2> ⚡ Quick Start </h2> <p>Install from PyPI:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code>pip <span class="nb">install </span>dns-benchmark-tool </code></pre> </div> <p>Run your first comparison:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code>dns-benchmark compare <span class="nt">--domain</span> google.com </code></pre> </div> <h2> 🎯 Why Benchmark DNS? </h2> <ul> <li>⏱️ <strong>Hidden Bottleneck</strong>: DNS can add hundreds of milliseconds to every request. </li> <li>🌍 <strong>Location Matters</strong>: The “fastest” resolver depends on where <em>you</em> are. </li> <li>🔒 <strong>Security Varies</strong>: DNSSEC, DoH, and DoT support differ across providers. </li> </ul> <p>With this tool, you can:</p> <ul> <li>Find the fastest resolver for your region </li> <li>Validate DNSSEC and encrypted DNS support </li> <li>Monitor resolver performance over time </li> </ul> <h2> 📊 Real‑Time Tracking </h2> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkdbzprstnxgbqlflncjg.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkdbzprstnxgbqlflncjg.png" alt="Real Time Tracking Screenshot" width="800" height="463"></a></p> <h2> 💼 Use Cases </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Developers</strong>: Optimize API latency by picking the fastest resolver </li> <li> <strong>DevOps/SRE</strong>: Validate DNS before migration or provider switch </li> <li> <strong>Self‑hosters</strong>: Compare Pi‑hole/Unbound against public DNS </li> <li> <strong>Privacy advocates</strong>: Test encrypted DNS without sacrificing speed </li> </ul> <h2> 🌐 Roadmap </h2> <p>The CLI will stay free forever.<br><br> A hosted version (multi‑region, historical tracking, alerts) is coming in <strong>Q1 2026</strong>.</p> <h2> 🔗 Links </h2> <ul> <li> <a href="https://github.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub Repository</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://pypi.org/project/dns-benchmark-tool/" rel="noopener noreferrer">PyPI Package</a> </li> <li>Feedback form: <a href="https://forms.gle/BJBiyBFvRJHskyR57" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Form</a> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Built with Python + dnspython. Open to questions, feedback, and contributions!</strong></p> python networking dns devops Joseph O. Frank Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:23:28 +0000 https://forem.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool-v028-1k-downloads-in-5-days-505m https://forem.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool-v028-1k-downloads-in-5-days-505m <p>When you type a URL into your browser, the very first step is DNS resolution: turning a human‑friendly domain name into an IP address. That lookup might seem trivial, but it’s often the hidden bottleneck in network performance. A slow resolver can add hundreds of milliseconds to every request — multiplied across thousands of requests, that’s real lag.</p> <p>That’s why I built <strong><a href="https://github.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool" rel="noopener noreferrer">DNS Benchmark Tool</a></strong>, a lightweight CLI utility now published on <a href="https://pypi.org/project/dns-benchmark-tool/" rel="noopener noreferrer">PyPI</a>. In just 5 days since release, it’s already been downloaded over <strong>1,100 times</strong> — proof that developers, sysadmins, and self‑hosters care about DNS speed.</p> <h2> 🔎 Why DNS benchmarking matters </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Performance</strong>: Faster resolvers mean snappier websites and APIs. </li> <li> <strong>Reliability</strong>: Some resolvers drop queries or fail under load. </li> <li> <strong>Privacy</strong>: Choosing the right resolver can reduce tracking and improve security. </li> <li> <strong>Self‑hosting</strong>: Tools like Pi‑hole or Unbound need benchmarking to prove they’re competitive with public resolvers like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).</li> </ul> <h2> 🛠️ What the tool does </h2> <ul> <li>Benchmarks multiple DNS resolvers side‑by‑side. </li> <li>Reports latency, success rate, and consistency. </li> <li>Simple CLI interface — install and run in seconds. </li> <li>Works cross‑platform (Linux, macOS, Windows). </li> </ul> <p>Install it with:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code>pip <span class="nb">install </span>dns-benchmark-tool </code></pre> </div> <h2> Quick usage </h2> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code><span class="c"># Benchmark with default resolvers and domains</span> dns-benchmark benchmark <span class="nt">--use-defaults</span> <span class="c"># Custom resolvers and domains</span> dns-benchmark benchmark <span class="nt">--resolvers</span> data/resolvers.json <span class="nt">--domains</span> data/domains.txt </code></pre> </div> <h2> 📈 Recent milestone </h2> <ul> <li>Current version: <strong>v0.2.8</strong> </li> <li>Downloads: <strong>1,100+ in 5 days</strong> </li> <li>Growing interest across Python, DevOps, and networking communities. </li> </ul> <h2> 🌍 Who should try it </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Developers</strong>: Optimize API calls and reduce latency. </li> <li> <strong>Sysadmins/DevOps</strong>: Validate resolver performance in production. </li> <li> <strong>Self‑hosters</strong>: Compare Pi‑hole/Unbound against public resolvers. </li> <li> <strong>Networking enthusiasts</strong>: Experiment with DNS speed across ISPs. </li> </ul> <h2> 🔗 Links </h2> <ul> <li>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/frankovo/dns-benchmark-tool</a> </li> <li>PyPI: <a href="https://pypi.org/project/dns-benchmark-tool/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://pypi.org/project/dns-benchmark-tool/</a> </li> <li>Feedback Survey: <a href="https://forms.gle/BJBiyBFvRJHskyR57" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://forms.gle/BJBiyBFvRJHskyR57</a> </li> </ul> <p>✨ Next steps: I’d love feedback, benchmarks from different regions, and ideas for new features. If you try it out, share your results — let’s make DNS resolution faster for everyone.</p> python networking devops dns