# coredns vs nsd

> Two self-hosted [DNS projects](https://selfhost.directory/dns), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | coredns | nsd |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 60/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 41 in DNS | #12 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 14 399 ✓ | 574 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +59 ✓ | +2 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 ✓ | 9 |
| Latest release | v1.15.0 · 21 Oct 2026 | NSD_4_15_4_REL · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Go | C |

## Which one should you pick?

coredns scores 76/100 against 60/100 for nsd, so it is the safer default.

coredns ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for nsd.

If you want the quickest setup, coredns is easier to run; nsd needs more configuration.

coredns is growing faster right now (+59 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [coredns](https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns.md)
- [nsd](https://selfhost.directory/project/nsd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nsd.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/coredns-vs-nsd