DNS changes are scattered across Windows
Switching resolvers, testing them, recovering from failures, and applying per-domain policies normally requires several system tools and repeated administrator actions.
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Stable · v1.5.0
Stable · v1.5.0> windows / dns management
DnsSwitcher
Fast DNS profile switching for Windows with desktop UI, system tray, CLI, diagnostics, failover, and Split DNS.
DnsSwitcher stores reusable DNS profiles, applies or resets them on selected Windows adapters, runs DNS/site/benchmark diagnostics, and adds optional DNS Health Failover plus NRPT-based Split DNS. Privileged operations can be delegated to a Windows Agent over Named Pipes.
PlatformWindows x64
Releasev1.5.0
Published19 Aug 2026
DeliverySelf-contained
LicenseMIT
> context
DNS control without living in adapter dialogs
The project combines everyday switching, diagnostics, privileged system operations, and recovery features in one Windows tool while keeping the core profile model reusable across UI, Tray, and CLI.
One profile model, multiple clients
WPF, Tray, and CLI share the same Core and Windows infrastructure. Privileged changes can flow through a dedicated Agent service instead of keeping the user interface elevated.
> capabilities
Core capabilities
The stable release covers the complete desktop/tray workflow validated for v1.5.0.
DNS profiles
Create, edit, import, export, apply, and restore automatic DNS for selected network adapters.
Desktop, Tray & CLI
WPF desktop application, configurable system-tray actions, and a CLI for automation and diagnostics.
Diagnostics
DNS resolution, site checks, and benchmark commands for comparing resolver behavior and performance.
DNS Health Failover
Optional monitoring with failure/recovery thresholds, cooldown, ordered failover chains, and fallback profiles.
Split DNS
Real Windows NRPT rules for routing selected namespaces through specific DNS profiles.
Windows Agent
Privileged Windows Service reached through Named Pipes so UI and Tray do not need to stay elevated.
Localized UI
Russian and English interface with System, Light, and Dark themes and scalable Windows UI.
Verified updates
Stable GitHub Releases discovery with strict installer selection and SHA-256 verification before launch.
Installer & portable
Self-contained Inno Setup installer and portable ZIP; no separately installed .NET Desktop Runtime is required.
$ flow
Runtime architecture
UI, system tray, and CLI share application logic. Windows-specific operations and optional privilege separation stay in dedicated infrastructure and Agent layers.
01 / clientsUI · Tray · CLIProfiles, diagnostics, Health, Split DNS
→
02 / appCore + Windows infrastructureValidation, orchestration, storage, update delivery
→
03 / privilegedWindows AgentNamed Pipes → DNS / NRPT / service operations
SPLIT DNSSplit DNS uses Windows NRPT. Applications with their own DNS/DoH stack can bypass OS-level DNS policy.
> interface
Application screens
Real v1.5.0 screenshots from the running Windows application. Images are shown at their natural aspect ratio.
$ architecture
Solution architecture
The solution separates portable application logic from Windows implementations, privileged operations, and presentation clients.
DnsSwitcher.Core
Models, abstractions, validation, profile/DNS orchestration, SemVer and update contracts.
Contracts
Request/response protocol shared with the privileged Agent.
Infrastructure.Windows
Windows DNS and NRPT implementations, local JSON storage, Agent client, update download/checksum/installer handoff.
WPF UI
Main application, Settings, About, Help, diagnostics, manual updates, Health and Split DNS editors.
Tray
Quick profile/system actions and throttled automatic update notifications with live menu configuration.
Agent.Windows
Windows Service + Named Pipe server for privileged DNS/NRPT/service operations.
> engineering
Engineering decisions
The design favors explicit state, recoverability, and Windows-native mechanisms over hidden background behavior.
Do not keep the UI elevated
The Agent performs privileged operations as a Windows Service; UI/Tray/CLI communicate over a versioned Named Pipe protocol.
Avoid DNS profile flapping
Health Failover switches only after configured failure thresholds, enforces cooldown, and requires recovery successes before reporting healthy state.
Use NRPT instead of a local port-53 proxy
NRPT provides Windows-native namespace routing without changing system DNS to localhost or supervising another DNS daemon.
Verify before executing
The client accepts only expected HTTPS GitHub release assets and will not launch the installer until its SHA-256 matches SHA256SUMS.txt.
Self-contained releases
Installer and portable ZIP include the required .NET runtime, reducing target-machine dependencies.
Keep user configuration local
Profiles, UI/Tray settings, Health state, Split DNS rules, and update state live under data/config and survive normal installed upgrades.
> technology
Technology stack
C# / .NET 10language & runtime
WPFdesktop UI
Windows Formssystem tray
Named PipesAgent IPC
Windows NRPTSplit DNS
JSON fileslocal config/state
xUnittests
Inno Setup 6installer
PowerShell + dotnetbuild/release
> privacy
LOCAL DATAConfiguration stays on the machine.
DnsSwitcher does not require a cloud account. Profiles, settings, operational state, and logs are local. Automatic update checks contact only the configured public GitHub Releases source and can be disabled.
- No cloud account required
- DNS profiles are stored locally
- Automatic update checks are optional
- Runtime config and logs are excluded from Git
- Installed upgrades preserve data/config
> security
EXPLICIT BOUNDARIESUpdates and elevation have explicit boundaries.
The update client contains no embedded PAT/OAuth credential. Privileged DNS and NRPT operations can be isolated in the Agent service, and downloaded installers are validated before launch.
- No embedded GitHub token
- Expected repository and HTTPS release path enforced
- Strict installer asset name
- SHA-256 must match before installer launch
- Stable channel ignores drafts and prereleases
> limitations
Windows-specific limits
The project targets Windows x64 only. Split DNS depends on NRPT and cannot guarantee control over applications that use their own DNS/DoH stack. The exact minimum Windows version is not encoded as a dedicated project property.
$ stable_release
DnsSwitcher v1.5.0
v1.5.0 is the current stable Windows x64 release. It completed final validation for UI, Tray, CLI, Agent, DNS Health, Split DNS, installer/portable delivery, localization, scaling, and in-place upgrade from v1.4.1.
Installer SHA-256
B58E03CB8CAA75F43068A920FCC3163E1E13A5D8B62639162E861A4DC6EAC90EPortable SHA-256
5AD5D8D0626E82203F61CD88F53D58C7C4CC5D6F9F01F40AB50C22AC679139F2> project links
Development and documentation
GitHub remains the source of truth for code, releases, issues, architecture, testing evidence, and release notes.