Numa
Ad-blocking DNS resolver with DNSSEC-validating recursive resolution, DoH/DoT/Oblivious DoH, ephemeral overrides, and local service domains, in a single Rust binary (alternative to Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, NextDNS).
Maintained, but at a slower pace than the leaders in its category.
Commit activity more than 34% of tracked projects; popularity more than 42%. How this is calculated.
Commits, last 11 months
| Stars | 1.5k |
|---|---|
| Latest release | v0.23.1 · 15 Sept 2026 |
| Repo updated | 27 Sept 2026 |
| Licence | MIT |
| Built with | Rust, Docker, Nix |
Is Numa actively maintained?
Development is ongoing. The repository recorded 123 commits over the same window, and the last three months alone account for 123 of them.
The most recent tagged release, v0.23.1, shipped within the last month — a current, installable version exists today.
Numa ranks #5 of 6 tracked dns projects. Several better-maintained options exist in the same category — they are listed below.
What Numa actually does
Numa is a DNS resolver written in Rust that blocks ads and performs recursive resolution with DNSSEC validation. It supports encrypted protocols like DoH and DoT, along with local service domains and overrides, packaged as an alternative to tools such as Pi-hole.
Best fit: Self-hosters looking for a lightweight, memory-safe alternative to standard DNS blockers that handles encrypted upstream queries natively.
Worth knowing: The project overlaps heavily with mature, widely adopted alternatives like Pi-hole and AdGuard Home, meaning you may encounter fewer community guides and edge-case solutions.
Deployment notes
As a self-contained Rust binary, it typically runs well inside a Docker container without needing an external database, though you will need to map persistent storage for your configuration and expose port 53.
Links
Alternatives to Numa
Projects in the same categories, ordered by health score.
User-friendly ads & trackers blocking DNS server.
Authoritative/recursive DNS server with ad blocking functionality.
Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features (alternative to Pi-hole).
Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring.
Local ad blocker. Like Pi-hole but local and using your operating system.