Ignored domains / Protections

How to block or ignore domains with a local DNS server

Some environments need DNS requests for selected domains to receive no response. DNS Server Sentinel supports ignored domains for this behavior.

When this is useful

Ignoring domains is useful when you want a DNS request to disappear instead of receiving a normal answer. This can help test timeout behavior, simulate unavailable services, keep selected domains from being forwarded upstream, or apply a small project-specific deny list in a controlled environment.

It is different from returning a fake IP or an NXDOMAIN response. Ignoring a name is intentionally silent, so client applications experience it as no DNS response.

Ignore instead of resolve

An ignored domain is not answered locally and is not forwarded upstream. The server simply does not return a DNS response for that name. This is useful for local blocking tests, lab behavior, or project-specific deny lists.

roblox.com
*.example-blocked.test

When to use it

  • Test how software behaves when a domain does not resolve.
  • Prevent selected names from being forwarded upstream.
  • Keep project DNS behavior deterministic during development.
Different from NXDOMAIN. Ignoring a domain means no response is sent. Returning NXDOMAIN means the server actively answers that the name does not exist.