Your connection, carried inside DNS lookups
When VPNs and most foreign sites are blocked, DNS usually still works, because almost nothing else works without it. StormDNS encrypts your traffic, splits it into small pieces and sends them as ordinary DNS queries to our server. It is slower than a normal VPN, but it keeps messaging and browsing going when other methods can't connect.
Free with every subscription · Already a subscriber? Activate StormDNS
- iPhone & iPad: PremierNexus
- Android: WhiteDNS
Example
- mzxw6ytboi3tqmrx.gq2tmnzy.u7k2.example.netQuery 1encrypted fragment 1, encoded as letters and digits
- nbswy3dpeb3w64tm.mrqxe2lu.u7k2.example.netQuery 2fragment 2, same hostname
- orsxg5dfmfzwk3tu.ojuwk3ds.u7k2.example.netQuery 3fragment 3, and so on
- Resolver → StormDNS serverDecodedfragments put back together, decrypted and sent on to the internet
- Travels as
- DNS queries
- Via
- Public resolvers
- Hostname
- Unique to you
Encode, tunnel, decode
Every device makes DNS lookups to turn names like example.com into addresses. StormDNS hides your data in those lookups.
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Encode
The app encrypts your traffic and splits it into small fragments. Each fragment is written into the name being looked up, as letters and digits in front of your StormDNS hostname. To anyone watching, it is a DNS query for an odd-looking subdomain.
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Tunnel
Your device sends the queries to a public DNS resolver, as it would for any website. The resolver doesn't know the answer, so it forwards each query to the server in charge of that hostname: ours. This is how DNS normally works, so the firewall only sees DNS traffic.
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Decode
Our StormDNS server reads the fragments out of the queries, puts them back in order, decrypts them and sends your traffic on to the internet. Replies come back the same way, inside DNS responses, and the app turns them back into the page or message you asked for.
Your device never connects to our server directly. It only talks to a DNS resolver. That is why StormDNS can keep working when our server addresses, VPN protocols and most foreign traffic are blocked.
Slower than a VPN, but it gets through
Each DNS query can only carry a small amount of data, and every piece goes through a resolver on the way. So StormDNS is much slower than a normal VPN connection.
That is the trade-off for getting online at all on networks where nothing else connects. Pages load more slowly, but messages send, email arrives and news sites open.
If the PremierVPN app or our other anti-censorship tools can connect, use those first. Keep StormDNS for the days they can't. See all the options →
Good for the essentials
Works well for
- Messaging apps
- Browsing and news
- Social media feeds
Not suited to
- Streaming video
- Large downloads
- Video calls
- Gaming
For video and calls, use the PremierVPN app with VLESS, or one of the faster tunnel protocols, whenever they can connect.
Built for the hardest networks
We have tested StormDNS in the countries where VPNs are blocked most heavily.
Iran
TestedTested during shutdowns and heavy filtering, on MCI, Irancell and other networks. Resolver lists for Iranian networks are in the client area.
Iran guide →Russia
TestedA fallback for when TSPU filtering blocks VPN protocols on your network. To the filter, StormDNS is DNS traffic.
Russia guide →China
TestedTested behind the Great Firewall. For everyday use there, VLESS in our apps is faster. StormDNS is the backup.
China guide →Simple to set up and control
One-click activation
Turn StormDNS on for a server from your dashboard. No config files and no terminal commands.
More than one server
Activate StormDNS on more than one server. If one is slow on your network, switch to another.
Your own hostname
Each server gives you a unique hostname tied to your account. Deactivating it revokes access at the server.
One-tap import on iPhone
Our PremierNexus app imports your StormDNS details straight from the dashboard.
Resolver lists for Iran
Lists of resolvers that work on Iranian networks, refreshed regularly, in the client area.
Free with every plan
Included with every PremierVPN subscription. No add-on and no extra charge.
Connect from your phone
Use our own app on iPhone and iPad, and a free open source app on Android.
iPhone & iPad
App StorePremierNexus, our own app. Import your StormDNS details from the dashboard with one tap, then connect.
Android
Free · Open sourceWhiteDNS, a free and open source DNS tunnel app. Download the latest release from GitHub and add your StormDNS details from the client area.
Ready in a few minutes
Subscribe
Any PremierVPN plan includes StormDNS. Card, PayPal and crypto are accepted.
Activate
In the client area, open StormDNS and activate it on a server with one click.
Install the app
PremierNexus on iPhone and iPad, or WhiteDNS on Android.
Import and connect
Bring in your StormDNS details and connect. In Iran, pick resolvers from the list for your network.
Set it up before you need it. During a shutdown, the App Store, GitHub and our website may be hard to reach. Install the app and import your details while you still have a normal connection.
Already a subscriber? Activate StormDNS in the client area →
Other ways past censorship
StormDNS questions
What is StormDNS?
How is it different from a normal VPN?
How fast is it?
Which apps do I need?
How do I turn it on?
Does it work in Iran during shutdowns?
Does it work in Russia and China?
Does it cost extra?
Can my ISP see what I am doing?
Stay in touch when everything else is blocked
StormDNS comes with every PremierVPN plan, alongside our apps for every device. Set it up now, so it's there when you need it.
Already a subscriber? Activate StormDNS in the client area →
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- 30-day money-back
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