Best VPS for a DNS Server

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A DNS server is nearly free to run — tiny memory footprint and mostly UDP traffic — but it wants uptime and a stable IP.

What a DNS server needs

• Minimal RAM — BIND, PowerDNS, or Unbound run in tens of MB.
• A stable dedicated IPv4 — DNS records should not churn.
• Full root and, ideally, a second server for redundancy.

The pick: RackNerd 1GB

RackNerd’s 1 GB plan at $21.99/yr runs an authoritative or recursive resolver comfortably, with full root and a dedicated IPv4. For production authoritative DNS, run two servers on separate providers for resilience.

Set up a recursive resolver with Unbound

sudo apt install -y unbound

Then point clients at it, or configure it as a local caching resolver for your other servers.

• Restrict recursion — an open resolver is an amplification-attack vector.
• Use DNSSEC validation — Unbound does this by default.
• Monitor query volume — anomalies reveal abuse early.

Bottom line: DNS is the cheapest thing to self-host. A 1 GB VPS is plenty; spend your effort on redundancy and security instead.