Duck DNS
Free dynamic DNS service hosted on AWS that gives you yourname.duckdns.org subdomains pointing at any IP, ideal for home servers.
- Card required
- No
Duck DNS scores 6.8/10 for free value in Domains. The main constraint: Free: multiple *.duckdns.org subdomains with token-based dynamic IP updates.
Free value score
6.8 / 10Show the math
Key metrics
What you get
Free *.duckdns.org subdomains
Simple token-based dynamic DNS updates
Hosted on AWS for reliability
Popular for home servers and Let's Encrypt certs
Gotchas
- Max 5 subdomains per account
Each account is limited to 5 *.duckdns.org subdomains, which is sufficient for most home-lab use cases but can be restrictive for larger setups.
- Subdomains only, no custom or apex domains
DuckDNS only provides *.duckdns.org subdomains; you cannot use your own registered domain or a bare apex domain.
- Dynamic DNS only, no full DNS management
The service is limited to A/AAAA record updates plus TXT records (used for Let's Encrypt DNS-01 / wildcard cert challenges); there is no MX, CNAME, or other record management.
- Narrowed login options
Reddit OAuth login has been removed due to a legal request, leaving fewer social login providers; users relying on Reddit accounts must re-authenticate via another provider.
- No SLA or uptime guarantee
DuckDNS is a community/volunteer-run service with no formal SLA; while it runs on AWS, downtime incidents are not compensated.
- Intended for personal/home-lab use
DuckDNS is positioned as a free personal service; there are no commercial support options or terms covering production business use.
Sources
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"Duck DNS free dynamic DNS hosted on Amazon VPC"
https://www.duckdns.org/ -
"You can update your domain(s) with a single HTTPS get to DuckDNS ... domains - REQUIRED - comma separated list of the subnames you want to update; token - REQUIRED - your account token"
https://www.duckdns.org/spec.jsp -
"After logging in, please create your Duck DNS domain. There is a limit of 5 domains per account."
https://swizzin.ltd/applications/duckdns -
"a free DuckDNS account is limited to five domains at a time"
https://superuser.com/questions/1839628/how-to-use-duckdns-for-multiple-letsencrypt-dns-challenges-normal-wildcard-ce -
"periodically (usually every 5 minutes), the computer running the client, tells our central system (via a HTTPS post), to update the record with its latest external IP"
https://www.duckdns.org/why.jsp
