How to set up aws-name-server on Ubuntu?

Download the binary from gobuild.io, move it to /usr/bin, set capabilities for non-root execution with setcap, and configure upstart using the provided conf file, as outlined in the installation and upstart sections of the README.

aws-name-server vs Route 53 for internal DNS?

aws-name-server is a lightweight, self-hosted option for tag-based EC2 discovery without Route 53 costs, but it lacks Route 53's advanced features like health checks, global latency-based routing, and managed scalability.

Can aws-name-server resolve instances across multiple AWS regions?

It uses the --aws-region parameter, defaulting to the instance's region or us-east-1, so it typically queries one region at a time; for multi-region support, you'd need separate instances or custom modifications.

How to troubleshoot if aws-name-server isn't responding?

Check logs in /var/log/upstart/aws-name-server.log, verify security group rules for port 53, ensure IAM permissions are correct, and confirm NS records are set up, as detailed in the troubleshooting guide.

Is aws-name-server secure for exposing to the internet?

While it uses minimal AWS permissions and can run non-root, exposing port 53 publicly without restrictions can be risky; the setup guide recommends security group configurations that might need tightening for production.

How does aws-name-server handle auto-scaling groups?

It dynamically resolves instances by tags, so if auto-scaling groups use consistent Name or Role tags, new instances will automatically appear in DNS, but there's no built-in health checking or load balancing.

Open-Awesome

aws-name-server

A DNS server that maps EC2 instances to human-readable names via AWS tags and instance IDs.

GitHub

560 stars29 forks0 contributors

What is aws-name-server?

aws-name-server is a DNS server that dynamically maps AWS EC2 instances to human-readable domain names based on their tags, roles, or instance IDs. It solves the problem of managing hard-to-remember IP addresses or instance identifiers in cloud environments by providing a simple, tag-based naming system.

Target Audience

DevOps engineers, system administrators, and cloud infrastructure teams managing AWS EC2 instances who need a lightweight, self-hosted DNS solution for instance discovery.

Value Proposition

Developers choose aws-name-server for its simplicity, tight AWS integration, and ability to resolve instances by tags without requiring complex service discovery systems or external dependencies.

Overview

DNS server that lets you look up ec2 instances by instance name

Use Cases

Best For

Resolving EC2 instances by Name or Role tags instead of IP addresses
Setting up internal DNS for AWS-based development or staging environments
Simplifying SSH or service connections to dynamically named instances
Creating human-readable aliases for auto-scaling group instances
Quickly discovering instances across AWS regions via DNS queries
Self-hosting a lightweight DNS server without external SaaS dependencies

Not Ideal For

Multi-cloud environments requiring DNS resolution across AWS, Azure, or GCP
Large-scale production setups needing high-availability DNS with automatic failover and load balancing
Teams that require advanced DNS features like DNSSEC, zone transfers, or dynamic updates
Infrastructures heavily using non-EC2 AWS services (e.g., RDS, Lambda) for service discovery

Pros & Cons

Pros

Tag-Based Discovery

Dynamically resolves EC2 instances by AWS tags like Name or Role, enabling human-readable names such as web-server.aws.example.com, as detailed in the usage section.

Minimal AWS Permissions

Requires only ec2:DescribeInstances permission via IAM roles or access keys, reducing security overhead, as specified in the IAM integration and setup guide.

Automatic IP Handling

Uses CNAME records to return internal IPs for queries inside AWS and external IPs for outside queries, simplifying network configuration, as explained in the usage overview.

Lightweight Deployment

Deploys as a single binary without external dependencies, with provided guides for EC2, security groups, and upstart configuration, making it easy to self-host.

Cons

AWS-Only Lock-in

Exclusively supports AWS EC2 instances, lacking integration with other cloud providers or AWS services like ECS or RDS, which limits its utility in hybrid environments.

Manual Setup Overhead

Requires manual configuration of security groups, IAM roles, and NS records, which is error-prone and time-consuming, as evidenced by the lengthy setup guide and troubleshooting steps.

No Built-in Redundancy

Operates as a single instance without inherent clustering or failover mechanisms, posing a single point of failure for critical DNS services in production.

Frequently Asked Questions

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