# dnsmasq

###### guide by example

![logo](https://i.imgur.com/SOa4kRd.png)

# Purpose

Lightweight DHCP and DNS server.

* [Official site](http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html)
* [Arch wik](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/dnsmasq)

# Files and directory structure

```
/etc/
├── dnsmasq.conf
├── hosts
└── resolve.conf
```              

# Installation

Install dnsmasq from your linux official repos

# Configuration

Configuration file location: /etc/dnsmasq.conf

`dnsmasq.conf`

```bash
# DNS --------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Never forward plain names (without a dot or domain part)
domain-needed
# Never forward addresses in the non-routed address spaces.
bogus-priv

# If you don't want dnsmasq to read /etc/resolv.conf
no-resolv
no-poll

# DHCP and DNS interface and address
interface=enp0s25
listen-address=::1,127.0.0.1

# Upstream Google and Cloudflare nameservers
server=8.8.8.8
server=1.1.1.1

# DNS wildcards ----------------------------------------------------------------

# wildcard dns entry sending domain and all its subdomains to an ip
address=/blabla.org/192.168.1.2
# subdomain override
address=/plex.blabla.org/192.168.1.3

# DHCP -------------------------------------------------------------------------

dhcp-range=192.168.1.51,192.168.1.199,255.255.255.0,480h
# gateway
dhcp-option=3,192.168.1.1

dhcp-authoritative

#dhcp-leasefile=/var/lib/misc/dnsmasq.leases
```

# resolv.conf

Contains DNS nameservers to be used by this linux machine.</br>
Since dnsmasq, a DNS server, is running right on this machine,
the entries should point to localhost.

Bit of an issue is that this file is often changed by various system services,
like systemd or dhcpcd.
To prevent this, `resolv.conf` will be flagged as immutable,
which prevents all possible changes to it unless the attribute is removed.

Edit /`etc/resolv.conf` and set localhost as the dns nameserver.

`resolv.conf`
```
nameserver ::1
nameserver 127.0.0.1
```

Make it immutable to prevent any changes to it.

* `chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf`

Check if the content is what was set.

* `cat /etc/resolv.conf`

If it was changed by dhcpcd, edit `/etc/dhcpcd.conf`
and add `nohook resolv.conf` at the end.</br>
Restart the machine, disable the immutability, edit it again,
add immutability, and check.

* `sudo chattr -i /etc/resolv.conf`
* `sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf`
* `sudo chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf`
* `cat /etc/resolv.conf`

# /etc/hosts

dnsmasq reads `/etc/hosts` for IP hostname pairs entries.
This is where you can add hostnames you wish to route to local servers.

Unfortunately no wildcard support.
But as seen in the `dnsmasq.conf` there is a wildcard section solving this,
so blabla stuff here is redundant. 

`hosts`
```
127.0.0.1       docker-host
192.168.1.2     docker-host 
192.168.1.1     gateway
192.168.1.2     blabla.org
192.168.1.2     nextcloud.blabla.org
192.168.1.2     book.blabla.org
192.168.1.2     passwd.blabla.org
192.168.1.2     grafana.blabla.org
```

# Start the services

`sudo systemctl enable --now dnsmasq`

# Test it

#### DHCP

Set some machine to use DHCP for its network setting.

It should just work. 

You can check on the dnsmasq host, file `/var/lib/misc/dnsmasq.leases`
for the active leases.

#### DNS

* `nslookup google.com`
* `nslookup gateway`
* `nslookup docker-host`
* `nslookup blabla.org`
* `nslookup whateverandom.blabla.org`
* `nslookup plex.blabla.org`

# Update

During host linux packages update.

# Backup and restore

#### Backup

Using [BorgBackup setup](https://github.com/DoTheEvo/selfhosted-apps-docker/tree/master/borg_backup)
that makes daily snapshot of the entire /etc directory
which contains the config files.

#### restore

Replace the config files with the one from backup