FAQ
How much does it cost?
Section titled “How much does it cost?”Nothing. There’s no sign-up and no paid tier. The servers are run out of pocket as a personal project.
How does DNS ad blocking work?
Section titled “How does DNS ad blocking work?”Before your device can load anything from the internet, it looks up the
server’s address with DNS, like looking up a number in a phone book. Bancuh DNS
answers those lookups normally, except for names on its
blocklist. For those, it answers with an address that goes
nowhere (0.0.0.0), so the ad, tracker or site never loads.
Because it works at the DNS level, it covers every app on a device, and every device on a network if you set it on your router, including ones where you can’t install an ad blocker such as smart TVs and consoles.
Who is it for?
Section titled “Who is it for?”Anyone who wants fewer ads and a safer internet, without installing anything. It’s especially suited to families: set it on your home router and every device, including children’s, gets ad blocking, malware protection, an adult content filter and enforced SafeSearch.
Can I turn off some of the blocking?
Section titled “Can I turn off some of the blocking?”No. Everyone gets the same filter. If you need different rules, for example to allow VPNs or crypto sites, you can run your own copy with your own blocklist.
Could you offer a lighter, ads-only server?
Section titled “Could you offer a lighter, ads-only server?”Not for now. Every server runs the same configuration, because running a second filter in each location would double the cost. Protection for the whole family, with nothing to configure, is also what sets Bancuh DNS apart; there are plenty of good ads-only services if that’s what you need.
Why are Google Ads and Google Analytics blocked?
Section titled “Why are Google Ads and Google Analytics blocked?”Because people use Bancuh DNS expecting ads and analytics to be blocked. A few sites and apps misbehave without them. For those, use the per-device workaround.
Why is there no “blocked” page?
Section titled “Why is there no “blocked” page?”A blocked domain simply doesn’t resolve, so there’s no server to show a page. Showing one would mean answering with the address of a Bancuh server, which would then have to present a certificate for sites it doesn’t own. Browsers would show a security warning instead. Use your query logs to see what was blocked.
Do you log my browsing?
Section titled “Do you log my browsing?”Query logs are kept in memory for 10 minutes so you can see your own lookups, and are then deleted. Nobody else can see yours. See Query logs & privacy for the details.
Ideally there would be no logs at all, but without them there’s no way to work out why a site or app broke, especially on phones where there are no developer tools. Ten minutes, visible only to you, is the compromise.
Are my lookups passed on to Google or Cloudflare?
Section titled “Are my lookups passed on to Google or Cloudflare?”No. Early on, the servers forwarded lookups to public DNS services. Since 2024, each server resolves names itself, asking each website’s own DNS servers directly.
Should I use a browser ad blocker instead?
Section titled “Should I use a browser ad blocker instead?”Use both if you can. Browser extensions such as uBlock Origin can remove ads that DNS can’t, like YouTube’s, and tidy up the empty spaces left behind. But they only work in that one browser. Bancuh DNS covers other browsers, apps and devices that have no extensions, and a whole home network at once.
Why not use a hosts file?
Section titled “Why not use a hosts file?”A hosts file blocks domains on one device without any DNS server, and works offline. But it has to be kept up to date by hand, needs admin or root access (which rules out most phones), has to be set up on every device, and is hard to undo if something breaks. Bancuh DNS gives you the same effect with one setting, and updates itself every day.
How is it different from AdGuard DNS or NextDNS?
Section titled “How is it different from AdGuard DNS or NextDNS?”Those are excellent services with dashboards, per-user settings and paid tiers. Bancuh DNS is simpler: free, no account, one strict family filter for everyone, and completely open source, so you can run the same thing yourself.
Will it slow down my internet?
Section titled “Will it slow down my internet?”Usually it does the opposite, because pages don’t wait for ads and trackers to load. Choose the closest server to keep lookups fast.
Can I use it at a school or business?
Section titled “Can I use it at a school or business?”Yes, but there’s no uptime guarantee, and very large networks behind a single IP address may hit the per-IP limits. See large networks. For anything important, host your own.
Can you add a server in my country?
Section titled “Can you add a server in my country?”Maybe. New locations are added where there are enough users to justify the cost. Open an issue on GitHub to ask, and in the meantime use the closest existing server.
Can I suggest a blocklist?
Section titled “Can I suggest a blocklist?”Yes. Open an issue on GitHub with a link to the list. Much of the current list came from user suggestions.
What does “Bancuh” mean?
Section titled “What does “Bancuh” mean?”It’s Malay for to mix, as in stirring up a drink. It started as a domain name that happened to be available, and users began calling the service “Bancuh DNS”. It turned out to fit: the blocklist is a mix of dozens of others. More in About Bancuh DNS.
Something doesn’t work. How do I get help?
Section titled “Something doesn’t work. How do I get help?”Start with troubleshooting. If that doesn’t help, open an issue on GitHub.