In order to open a web page from our browser it is necessary to perform a DNS query. In it the URL is sent to a server, and it is this who translates it by its IP to be able to connect to it.
These connections have always traveled without any encryption. This implies that our Internet provider, large Internet companies and even hackers could collect information about the websites we visit simply by capturing packages on our network. And to end this problem, the DoH protocol, or DNS-over-HTTPS , has been created .
DNS-over-HTTPS is a protocol that seeks to improve the security and privacy of users by encrypting the DNS requests we make from our web browser or from the operating system itself. This new protocol is gradually gaining more popularity. Microsoft has confirmed that it is working to implement it natively in Windows 10, and major web browsers are also including this feature.
However, at the moment it is an experimental feature. Therefore, support for DoH is disabled by default in all web browsers. And if we want to be able to use this function it is necessary to enable it by hand in all of them.
How to enable DNS over HTTPS in your browser
Firefox, the first to incorporate support for DNS over HTTPS
Although Firefox is the second most used web browser in the world, many times the Mozilla browser is the first to bring news and improvements in security and privacy to its users.
For some time now, this browser is already compatible with the DoH protocol, and users of this browser can activate this function, which is disabled by default.
To do this we must have Firefox updated to the latest version, run it and, within the Configuration menu, move to the end of the General section, specifically to the Network Configuration section .
Within the configuration of this section we will find the option to enable DNS over HTTPS.
Check the box and Firefox will allow us to use the default provider, Cloudflare, or configure our own provider with DoH support. Once this box is enabled, surfing the Internet with Firefox will be infinitely more secure and private.
Google Chrome, the most popular and used web browser
Google Chrome is the most used web browser worldwide. Google also often looks for new ways to improve the security and privacy of users. And how could it be less, this browser also has experimental support for DoH connections.
This function is available for the latest versions of the browser, in a flag called « Secure DNS lookups «. We can reach it by typing in the browser bar the following: chrome://flags/#dns-over-https
We activate the flag, restart the browser and we can start browsing more privately from Google Chrome.
Edge (Chromium), Microsoft's new commitment to take over the market
Microsoft is putting all its hopes on the new version of its Edge browser , a browser that radically breaks with the past and finally chooses to use Chromium as a base browser. And on this engine, Microsoft makes its own, creating a fully open source browser and much faster, secure and private than Google.
This browser also has its own experimental support for DoH, and being based on Chromium, it shares many of its experimental functions, or flags. To do this, we will write the following in the address bar edge://flags/#dns-over-https
Once this experimental function is activated, we restart the browser and go. We can now start browsing more privately with the new Edge Chromium.
Opera, the popular browser of the beginning of the century
Opera lived its golden age many years ago. This was one of the most innovative and revolutionary browsers that could be found on the net. He was even able to download files from P2P networks from his own window. Unfortunately, Opera was not able to adapt to changes in the Internet and in a short time lost virtually its entire market share.
In order to remain in the market, it had to be renewed from scratch, and a few years ago it started using Google's engine, Chromium, just as Microsoft has done with Edge. Of course, Opera is a browser full of functions and features and, of course, it is compatible with the DNS protocol over HTTPS.
To activate it, we just have to write the following in the address bar, activate the function, restart the browser and that's it. opera://flags/opera-doh
We can already start browsing privately with Opera.
Vivaldi, the most customizable without giving up Chromium
The Vivaldi browser is characterized by offering users many more customization options than any other. Both the interface and the operation of the tabs can be customized to the maximum. It even has a lot of security and privacy options that users can customize.
Of course, this browser also has an experimental flag that allows us to enable DoH support to improve our privacy. To do this we must write the following in the address bar, enable the function and restart the browser. vivaldi://flags/#dns-over-https
Brave, the most secure and private browser
Brave is another more Chromium-based browser that wants to gain the trust of users most concerned with their security and privacy. This is characterized by blocking all the trackers that are hidden in the web pages and offering advanced privacy features such as the default DuckDuckGo browser or the possibility of connecting to the Tor network.
A browser so focused on security and privacy should of course offer the ultimate in privacy. And so, it allows users to activate DoH support by typing the following in the address bar, like the previous ones: brave://flags/#dns-over-https