What Is Public DNS Server List?
Public DNS Server List (publicdnsserver.com) is a directory of publicly accessible DNS resolvers, organized so you can compare them and pick one to use. It lists servers by IP address (both IPv4 and IPv6), and each entry is tied to an autonomous system number (ASN), country, city, reliability percentage, and measured speed in milliseconds. The site states its database spans over 160 countries and that servers are continuously monitored to confirm they stay online and responsive. It's useful if you want to change the DNS resolver your device or network uses — for faster lookups, different privacy handling, or a fallback when your default resolver is unreliable.
What the list actually contains
Each row in the table follows the same structure, so you can sort or scan by the dimension that matters to you. The fields shown are:
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| IP | The resolver's address (IPv4 or IPv6) |
| ASN | The network/operator the IP belongs to |
| Country | Where the server is located |
| City | More specific location |
| Reliability | Percentage of successful responses observed |
| Speed | Response time in milliseconds |
For example, one entry is 172.64.36.255 under AS13335 (Cloudflare, Inc.), United States, New York, with 68.19% reliability and 5.5 ms speed. Another is 2610:a1:1018::5 under AS397222 (Neustar Security Services), United States, Chicago, at 88.68% reliability and 163.25 ms. The mix of operators — Cloudflare, Akamai, NTT, Korea Telecom, OVH, and many regional ISPs — reflects that this is a broad aggregation rather than a curated shortlist of one provider.
How to read reliability and speed
These two numbers are the main decision inputs, and they measure different things:
- Reliability is the share of checks where the server responded. A high value (the sample includes entries at 97–98%) means the resolver was consistently reachable during monitoring. A low value means it dropped queries or was offline part of the time.
- Speed is the observed response time. Lower is better, but the number is measured from wherever the monitoring runs — not from your location. An entry showing 5 ms may not be 5 ms from your network.
Because of that measurement gap, treat the listed speed as a rough ranking signal, not a promise. A server in your own country or region is more likely to be fast for you than a distant one, even if the distant one shows a lower number in the table.
How to choose and use one
- Filter by proximity first. Narrow to servers in your country or a nearby one. Distance is the biggest factor you can control.
- Compare reliability within that shortlist. Prefer entries with higher reliability percentages; a fast server that frequently fails is worse than a slightly slower stable one.
- Note the ASN and operator. If you recognize the operator (a large CDN or a major ISP), that's a signal about infrastructure quality and privacy posture.
- Test before committing. Enter the chosen IP as your DNS resolver in your device or router settings, then browse normally for a day or two. If lookups feel slow or fail, switch to your next candidate.
- Keep a fallback. Configure a secondary resolver from a different operator so a single outage doesn't take down your resolution.
Common pitfalls
- Assuming the fastest listed server is fastest for you. The speed column is measured from the monitoring location, which may be nowhere near you.
- Ignoring IPv6 vs IPv4. If your network doesn't have IPv6 connectivity, an IPv6-only entry won't work for you. Check that the address type matches your setup.
- Treating reliability as a guarantee. A percentage reflects past monitoring, not future uptime.
- Skipping the privacy question. The list tells you who operates each resolver (via ASN), but it doesn't state each operator's logging or data-handling policy. If privacy is your reason for switching, verify the operator's policy separately.
What the site is not
Public DNS Server List is a reference and comparison tool. It doesn't host DNS resolution itself, doesn't configure anything on your behalf, and doesn't rank servers as universally "best." Its value is the aggregated, monitored data — IPs, locations, reliability, and speed — that lets you make your own pick based on where you are and what you need.