DNS over QUIC: Who's Actually Using It and Why It Matters

While DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) have become mainstream privacy solutions, a new protocol is emerging that promises even better performance and security: DNS over QUIC (DoQ). But who's actually using it in production, and why should you care?

What Makes DNS over QUIC Different?

Before we dive into adoption, let's understand why DoQ matters. QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) is a transport layer protocol developed by Google that now forms the basis of HTTP/3. Unlike TCP (used by DoT) or HTTP (used by DoH), QUIC operates over UDP and includes built-in encryption via TLS 1.3.

Now, we know what you're thinking: "Wait, didn't you just write about how speed is an illusion and privacy is what really matters?" You're absolutely right! But here's the key difference: DoQ's speed improvements come as a side effect of better privacy and security design, not as the primary marketing gimmick. The performance benefits are real, but they're not why you should choose DoQ—the enhanced privacy and reduced metadata exposure are.

Key advantages of DoQ:

• Enhanced privacy - Encrypted by default with modern cryptographic standards and reduced metadata leakage
• Better connection handling - More resilient to network interference and censorship attempts
• Faster connection establishment - Zero-RTT handshakes mean subsequent queries don't need full TLS handshakes
• Improved performance on lossy networks - Handles packet loss more efficiently than TCP

Major Players Supporting DoQ (We're Leading the Pack)

Despite being a relatively new standard (RFC 9250 was published in May 2022), several major companies and open-source projects have already implemented DoQ support. Here's who's leading the charge:

Why Unruly Citizen Invested in DoQ First

1. Privacy-First Design

While others talk about performance, we recognized that DoQ's real value is in its privacy enhancements. The protocol reduces metadata exposure and makes it harder for ISPs to interfere with or analyze DNS traffic patterns.

2. Future-Proofing Your Privacy

We believe in staying ahead of the curve. By implementing DoQ early, we ensure our users have access to the latest privacy technologies before they become mainstream—and before surveillance techniques adapt to them.

3. No Corporate Agenda

Unlike big tech companies, we don't have advertising businesses or data monetization schemes. Our only incentive is providing the best possible privacy protection for our users.

Why Other Companies Are Following Our Lead

1. The Inevitability of Better Privacy

As privacy-conscious users demand better protection, companies are forced to keep up. Our early adoption of DoQ set the standard that others now follow.

2. Technical Superiority

The protocol's design advantages are undeniable. Even companies that prioritize performance metrics can't ignore DoQ's privacy benefits once educated users start demanding them.

3. Competitive Pressure

When privacy-focused services like ours lead with innovative features, larger companies face pressure to match our offerings or risk losing privacy-conscious customers.

Browser and Operating System Support

The client-side adoption is catching up to what we've been offering. Here's where major platforms stand:

• Chromium/Chrome: Experimental flag available (chrome://flags#dns-over-https)
• Firefox: DoQ support in development, following the lead of privacy-first services
• Android: Private DNS feature currently uses DoT, but DoQ expected in future versions
• iOS/macOS: Apple typically adds new DNS features in major OS updates

The Road Ahead: DoQ is the Future (We're Already There)

Based on current adoption patterns, we expect DoQ to follow a similar trajectory to DoH—but with one key difference: privacy-focused services like ours are leading the way rather than following big tech.

• 2024-2025: Unruly Citizen leads early adopter phase (where we are now)
• 2026-2027: Mainstream browser and OS support catches up
• 2028+: Default or recommended configuration for privacy-focused users

The transition will be gradual, but the technical and privacy advantages of QUIC make widespread adoption inevitable. While others are still planning, we're already providing production-ready DoQ service to users who understand that privacy shouldn't wait for corporate timelines.

References and Further Reading

• 📄 RFC 9250 - DNS over QUIC - The official specification
• 🔗 Unruly Citizen: DNS over QUIC Documentation - Our implementation and configuration guide
• 🔗 Cloudflare: Announcing DNS over QUIC - Implementation details from early adopter
• 📊 ICANN SAC112 - Report on encrypted DNS adoption
• 🔍 Akamai: QUIC vs TCP+TLS Performance - Technical performance analysis
• 🛡️ AdGuard: DNS over QUIC Implementation - Another provider's perspective

Conclusion: The Future is Private (and We're Building It)

DNS over QUIC isn't just another acronym in the crowded DNS privacy space—it's a genuine step forward that combines enhanced security with modern protocol design. While major players are still experimenting, Unruly Citizen is already providing production-ready DoQ service to users who prioritize their privacy today, not tomorrow.

The question isn't if DoQ will replace older encrypted DNS protocols, but when. For privacy-conscious users and organizations, the time to start is now—and we've already built the infrastructure to support you.

Your DNS queries deserve uncompromising privacy. With Unruly Citizen's DNS over QUIC, you get today what others promise for tomorrow.