OpenWrt Router Support

Configure and run DNS-MNS on OpenWrt routers for network-wide smart DNS

OpenWrt Router Support

DNS-MNS now supports OpenWrt routers, allowing you to provide smart DNS resolution for your entire network. This is especially useful for Iranian users who want to bypass DNS censorship for all devices on their home network.

Overview

DNS-MNS on OpenWrt operates in two modes:

Upstream Mode (Recommended)

DNS-MNS works alongside dnsmasq. Dnsmasq stays on port 53 and forwards queries to DNS-MNS running on a different port.

Direct Mode

DNS-MNS replaces dnsmasq on port 53. Dnsmasq DNS is disabled, but DHCP continues to work.

Installation

Download the Correct Binary

OpenWrt runs on various architectures. Download the appropriate binary for your router:

Architecture	Download File	Common Routers
x86_64	dns-mns-openwrt-x86_64	x86 routers, virtual machines
MIPS	dns-mns-openwrt-mips	Older routers (TP-Link WR841N, etc.)
MIPSel	dns-mns-openwrt-mipsel	Some TP-Link and D-Link models
ARM v7	dns-mns-openwrt-armv7	Raspberry Pi 2/3, modern routers
ARM64	dns-mns-openwrt-aarch64	Raspberry Pi 4, high-end routers

Identify Your Router Architecture

SSH into your OpenWrt router and run:

uname -m

Common outputs:

• x86_64 → Use x86_64 binary
• mips → Use MIPS binary
• mipsel or mipsle → Use MIPSel binary
• armv7l → Use ARM v7 binary
• aarch64 → Use ARM64 binary

Install on OpenWrt

1. Download to your computer, then copy to the router:

# From your computer
scp dns-mns-openwrt-x86_64 root@192.168.1.1:/tmp/

2. SSH to router and install:

ssh root@192.168.1.1
mv /tmp/dns-mns-openwrt-x86_64 /usr/bin/dns-mns
chmod +x /usr/bin/dns-mns

3. Verify installation:

dns-mns --version

Configuration

Step 1: Detect OpenWrt

Verify DNS-MNS detects your OpenWrt system correctly:

dns-mns openwrt detect

Example output:

[OK] OpenWrt detected!

  Version:  23.05.0
  Board:    x86/64

[OK] dnsmasq is installed
[OK] dnsmasq is running
  Port:     53

Step 2: Choose and Setup Mode

Upstream Mode (Recommended)

In this mode, dnsmasq remains the primary DNS on port 53, but forwards queries to DNS-MNS.

dns-mns openwrt setup --mode upstream --listen 127.0.0.1 --port 5353

This will:

• Configure dnsmasq to forward DNS queries to 127.0.0.1:5353
• Backup your original dnsmasq configuration
• Restart dnsmasq with new settings

Then start the DNS-MNS proxy:

dns-mns proxy --listen 127.0.0.1:5353 --protocol auto

Direct Mode

In this mode, DNS-MNS takes over port 53 directly. Dnsmasq DNS is disabled.

dns-mns openwrt setup --mode direct

This will:

• Set dnsmasq port to 0 (disable DNS)
• Backup your original dnsmasq configuration
• Restart dnsmasq (DHCP only)

Then start DNS-MNS on port 53:

dns-mns proxy --listen :53 --protocol auto

In direct mode, if DNS-MNS stops, DNS resolution will fail. Make sure to set up auto-start.

Step 3: Check Status

View the current configuration:

dns-mns openwrt status

Example output:

========================================
OPENWRT STATUS
========================================
  OpenWrt Version:  23.05.0
  Board:            x86/64

  dnsmasq Status:
    Installed: Yes
    Running:   Yes
    Port:      53
    Upstream:  127.0.0.1:5353

  DNS-MNS Status:
    Configured: Yes
    Mode:        upstream
========================================

Step 4: Enable Auto-Start

To start DNS-MNS automatically on boot:

# Install the init script (included in release)
cp /path/to/dns-mns.init /etc/init.d/dns-mns
chmod +x /etc/init.d/dns-mns

# Create UCI config
cat > /etc/config/dns-mns << 'EOF'
config dns-mns 'main'
	option enabled '1'
	option mode 'upstream'
	option listen_addr '127.0.0.1'
	option listen_port '5353'
	option auto_start '1'
EOF

# Enable and start service
/etc/init.d/dns-mns enable
/etc/init.d/dns-mns start

Managing the Service

Start/Stop/Restart

# Start
/etc/init.d/dns-mns start

# Stop
/etc/init.d/dns-mns stop

# Restart
/etc/init.d/dns-mns restart

# Check status
/etc/init.d/dns-mns status

View Logs

# Real-time logs
logread -f | grep dns-mns

# Recent logs
logread | grep dns-mns

Restoring Original Configuration

If you need to revert to your original dnsmasq configuration:

dns-mns openwrt restore

This will:

• Restore dnsmasq configuration from backup
• Restart dnsmasq with original settings
• Remove DNS-MNS configuration

CLI Commands Reference

Command	Description
dns-mns openwrt detect	Detect if running on OpenWrt and show system info
dns-mns openwrt setup --mode upstream	Configure dnsmasq to use DNS-MNS as upstream
dns-mns openwrt setup --mode direct	Configure DNS-MNS to replace dnsmasq on port 53
dns-mns openwrt status	Show current OpenWrt DNS configuration
dns-mns openwrt restore	Restore original dnsmasq configuration

Setup Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--mode	Operation mode: upstream or direct	upstream
--listen	Listen address for DNS-MNS	127.0.0.1
--port	Listen port for DNS-MNS (upstream mode)	5353
--auto-start	Enable auto-start on boot	true

Troubleshooting

DNS-MNS Not Detecting OpenWrt

If dns-mns openwrt detect fails, verify:

# Check for OpenWrt files
ls /etc/openwrt_release /etc/openwrt_version 2>/dev/null

# Check for uci
which uci

Dnsmasq Fails to Start

If dnsmasq fails after configuration:

# Check for configuration errors
dnsmasq --test --conf-file=/etc/dnsmasq.conf

# Restore backup manually
cp /etc/config/dhcp.dns-mns-backup /etc/config/dhcp
uci commit dhcp
/etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart

Port Already in Use

If port 5353 is already in use:

# Find what's using the port
netstat -tlnp | grep 5353

# Use a different port
dns-mns openwrt setup --mode upstream --port 5354

Low Memory on Router

For routers with limited RAM (< 64MB):

# Use direct mode (less memory overhead)
dns-mns openwrt setup --mode direct

# Or limit concurrent connections
dns-mns proxy --listen 127.0.0.1:5353 --protocol auto &
echo $! > /var/run/dns-mns.pid

Building from Source for OpenWrt

To build a custom binary for your router:

# Clone repository
git clone https://gitlab.com/E-Gurl/dns-mns.git
cd dns-mns

# Build for your router architecture
# x86_64
CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -ldflags="-s -w -extldflags '-static'" -o dns-mns-openwrt-x86_64 ./cmd/dns-mns/

# MIPS
CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux GOARCH=mips GOMIPS=softfloat go build -ldflags="-s -w -extldflags '-static'" -o dns-mns-openwrt-mips ./cmd/dns-mns/

# ARM v7
CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm GOARM=7 go build -ldflags="-s -w -extldflags '-static'" -o dns-mns-openwrt-armv7 ./cmd/dns-mns/

Or use the Makefile:

make build-openwrt
make verify-static

Comparison with SmartDNS

Feature	DNS-MNS	SmartDNS
DoH/DoT Support	✅ Built-in	✅ Yes
DNSCrypt Support	✅ Built-in	❌ No
Auto Protocol Switching	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited
Iran-Optimized	✅ Yes	⚠️ Generic
DPI Evasion	✅ TLS Fragmentation	❌ No
Censorship Detection	✅ Yes	❌ No
VLESS/REALITY Proxy	✅ Built-in	❌ No
OpenWrt Integration	✅ Native UCI	✅ Yes

Best Practices

1. Start with Upstream Mode: It’s safer and allows easy rollback
2. Backup Your Config: Before making changes, backup /etc/config/dhcp
3. Test Before Auto-Start: Manually test DNS resolution before enabling auto-start
4. Monitor Memory Usage: On low-end routers, monitor with free -h
5. Use Dashboard: Run dns-mns dashboard to monitor performance

Related

• Setting DNS - General DNS configuration
• Fallback Proxy - Auto-switching encrypted DNS proxy
• DPI Evasion - Bypassing deep packet inspection