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Guidelines 🔖

1. Prevent overblocking by utilizing the law of diminishing returns (e.g., using sane, quality blocklists; allowing most TLDs; etc.).
2. Pass the girlfriend test with few exceptions. These deviations are documented throughout the guide.

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Security 👮

Security settings protect your data from harm, theft, and unauthorized use.

Threat Intelligence Feeds ¹

Use Threat Intelligence Feeds

AI-Driven Threat Detection

Enable AI-Driven Threat Detection

Google Safe Browsing ^{1 2 3}

Enable Google Safe Browsing

Cryptojacking Protection ¹

Enable Cryptojacking Protection

DNS Rebinding Protection ^{1 2}

Enable DNS Rebinding Protection

IDN Homograph Attacks Protection

Enable Homograph Attacks Protection

Typosquatting Protection ¹

Enable Typosquatting Protection

Domain Generation Algorithms (DGAs) Protection

Enable DGA Protection

Block Newly Registered Domains (NRDs) ^{1 2 3}

⚠️ Blocking NRDs may cause false positives occasionally. Be selective when adding NRDs to your allowlist; and, if you do, NEVER give sensitive information to a NRD. If you plan to set-and-forget your configuration, disable this setting.

Block Newly Registered Domains (NRDs)

Block Dynamic DNS Hostnames ^{1 2 3}

Enable Block Dynamic DNS Hostnames

Block Parked Domains ¹

Block Parked Domains

Block Top-Level Domains (TLDs) ^{1 2 3 4}

⚠️ Blocking TLDs will cause false positives. Some TLDs may be unusable if you often visit websites that use them. Add websites that are affected to your allowlist if they are not malicious. If you plan to set-and-forget your configuration, skip this setting.

.work
.fit
.surf
.cn
-
.agency
.associates
.bid
.buzz
.cam
.casa
.cf
.ci
.cricket
.discount
.financial
.fun
.ga
.gq
.icu
.live
.loan
.ml
.monster
.online
.ooo
.rest
.tk
.top
.wang
.win

☢️ Advanced Users: If you use NX Enhanced and want to add all TLDs to your profile, then here is a list of common TLDs you need to allow:

.biz
.cloud
.co
.com
.de
.dev
.download
.edu
.email
.goog
.gov
.info
.io
.it
.mil
.mobi
.net
.nl
.org
.page
.review
.ru
.site
.xyz

Block Child Sexual Abuse Material

Block Child Sexual Abuse Material

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Privacy 🔒

Privacy features block certain requests so that companies cannot track your information and browsing history.

Privacy is a spectrum. What you need varies on your threat model, interest, and skillset. (You can watch this short video to understand the difference between security and privacy.)

Blocklists ¹

Blocklists are community generated lists that block ads and trackers. Filters can be categorized into five tiers of coverage:

1. None: no breakage; NextDNS still protects against malicious threats (à la security settings) but will allow ads and trackers
2. Basic: rare breakage; prioritizes functionality over blocking; very forgiving; ideal for router profiles
3. Balanced: minimal breakage; should not interfere with everyday browsing; largely set-and-forget but you may need to allowlist occasionally
4. Strict: moderate breakage; prioritizes privacy over user experience; must manage your allowlist regularly
5. Aggressive: excessive breakage; use on a separate profile to lockdown single-purpose devices

Here's a compliation of popular blocklists available in NextDNS:

Basic	Balanced	Strict	Aggressive
1Hosts (mini)	1Hosts (Lite)	1Hosts (Pro)	1Hosts (Xtra)
oisd	oisd	NextDNS Ads & Trackers Blocklist	Goodbye Ads
	NoTrack Tracker Blocklist	Lightswitch05 - Ads & Tracking	Energized Ultimate

💡 The Balanced tier is recommended for the average user, based on my testing and user feedback.^{1 2 3 4}

Native Tracking Protection ¹

Add all the device brands that you use. There's no advantage in adding brands you don't have; however, there’s no disadvantage in adding unused brands, either.

Xiaomi
Huawei
Samsung
Amazon Alexa
Windows
Apple
Roku
Sonos

Block Disguised Third-Party Trackers ^{1 2 3 4}

Block Disguised Third-Party Trackers

Allow Affiliate & Tracking Links ^{1 2}

💡 Your IP address will automatically be hidden (via TCP proxying) to preserve your privacy.

Allow Affiliate & Tracking Links

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Parental Control 👪

YouTube Restricted Mode

Enforce YouTube Restricted Mode

Block Bypass Methods ¹

Block Bypass Methods

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Denylist ⛔

Denylist entries block any requests from that source.

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Allowlist ✅

Allowlist entries override any blocks.

Facebook / Instagram

graph.facebook.com
graph.instagram.com
i.instagram.com

Apple device updates ¹ / Apple Music ²

xp.apple.com

Apple iMessage GIFs ¹ / Spotlight Search ²

smoot.apple.com

Zoom ^{1 2}

logfiles.zoom.us
us04logfiles.zoom.us
us04zpns.zoom.us

Epic Games Launcher ¹

eulatracking-public-service-prod06.ol.epicgames.com

NVIDIA Gefore Experience ¹

gfe.nvidia.com
nvgs.nvidia.cn

imgur ¹

js.media-lab.ai

Spectrum login ¹

pov.spectrum.net

CBS News livestream ¹

production-cmp.isgprivacy.cbsi.com

FiveThirtyEight videos / National Geographic website

dcf.espn.com

Men's Health videos ¹

glimmer.hearstapps.com

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Settings ⚙️

Block Page

Enable Block Page → ⚠️ Enabling may cause breakage if the NextDNS Root CA is not on your devices

Anonymized EDNS Client Subnet ¹

Enable Anonymized EDNS Client Subnet

Cache Boost ¹

Enable Cache Boost

CNAME Flattening ^{1 2 3}

Enable CNAME Flattening

Web3 ^{1 2}

Enable Web3

(optional)

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FAQ ❓

How do I signup for NextDNS?

Click here!

Do I still need an adblocker with NextDNS?

Yes. ^{1 2 3}

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Mentions 📚

Here: 1 2

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23 July 2022