Configure a local DNS server for local development work on Linux with NetworkManager and dnsmasq.

Local DNS Server Instructions.md

Local DNS Server Instuctions

Configure a local DNS server for local development work on Linux with NetworkManager and dnsmasq.

1. Check if the systemd-resolved stub listener is running:

   If the output of:

   netstat -tulpn | grep "LISTEN"
   

   shows systemd-resolved listening on 127.0.0.53:53, then edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf and set the following option:

   DNSStubListener=no
   

   Restart systemd-resolved with:

   systemctl restart systemd-resolved.service
   

2. On Ubuntu / Fedora dnsmasq is pre-installed with NetworkManager, we just need to enable it by creating a file /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/10-dnsmasq.conf with the contents:

   [main]
   dns=dnsmasq
   

3. Configure dnsmasq to listen on the correct address by adding /etc/NetworkManager/dnsmasq.d/10-dnsmasq.conf with the contents:

   listen-address=127.0.0.53
   

4. Add domains to dnsmasq by creating files in /etc/NetworkManager/dnsmasq.d/, for example:

   Create the a file /etc/NetworkManager/dnsmasq.d/20-lh.conf with the following:

   address=/lh/127.0.0.1
   

5. Restart NetworkManager and verify:

   systemctl restart NetworkManager
   
   # Should show dnsmasq listening on 127.0.0.53:53
   netstat -tulpn | grep "LISTEN" 
   
   # Should show a dnsmasq process
   ps aux | grep dns
   

   You should be able to resolve *.lh e.g.:

   dig +short test.lh
   127.0.0.1