--- title: The DNS Museum link: https://dns.museum/ source: hnrss-org published: 2026-10-16T22:21:34Z updated: 2026-10-16T22:21:34Z first_seen: 2026-10-19T12:57:26.464953148Z authors: - zdw content: extracted html: 2026-10-16-the-dns-museum.html remote_preview: url: https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-10.webp alt: Screenshot used in the talk for American Pie traceroute --- DNS Museum · 49 entries A reference for the odd, inventive, and always impractical things people have done with DNS. ![Screenshot used in the talk for American Pie traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-10.webp) A predictable traceroute path uses PTR records on its routers to spell lines from “American Pie”, turning reverse DNS into a lyric display. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/american-pie-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Bad Horse traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-12.webp) A traceroute to bad.horse spells lyrics through reverse-DNS names; signed.bad.horse adds a separate Easter egg in its TLS certificate chain. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/bad-horse-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Christmas traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-13.webp) A static traceroute uses reverse-DNS names to reveal a Christmas tree, with each hop adding another branch to the seasonal picture. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/christmas-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Euro 2020 traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-9.webp) A traceroute display used live Euro 2020 scores, pairing a controlled route with DNS names to turn network diagnostics into a changing scoreboard. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/euro-2020-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for IPv6 hop expansion](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-8.webp) An IPv6 traceroute uses reverse-DNS names to draw a hand; raising the hop limit reveals more of the picture one numbered hop at a time. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/ipv6-hop-expansion) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Singing traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-13.webp) A traceroute spells out lyrics from “Let It Snow” in the reverse-DNS names returned for each hop. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/singing-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Star Wars traceroute](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-7.webp) A predictable static route sends probes through selected IP addresses whose PTR records spell a Star Wars story in ordinary traceroute output. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/star-wars-traceroute) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over DONUTS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-24.webp) DONUTS expands to “DNS over normal, unencrypted TCP streams”: a deliberately literal reminder that DNS can run over a simple stream transport. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-donuts) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over IRC](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-18.webp) IRC carries hostname and IP mappings that a local cache and libc Name Service Switch use to resolve names without publishing them through DNS. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-irc) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over Mastodon](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-21.webp) A Mastodon bot connects federated social messaging with DNS queries and reports whether the returned DNS data passed DNSSEC validation. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-mastodon) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over phone](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-23.webp) DialDNS lets a caller ask a recursive resolver questions by telephone, turning spoken interaction into a novel DNS client interface. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-phone) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over ping](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-20.webp) This project carries DNS questions and answers inside ICMP ping packets, using ping as the transport for DNS lookups. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-ping) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over Signal](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-19.webp) A Signal conversation presents DNS questions and answers as secure messages, exposing the resolver exchange through a familiar chat interface. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-signal) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over SMS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-15.webp) SMS carries a compact representation of DNS questions and replies, demonstrating a constrained alternative to the usual UDP or TCP exchange. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-sms) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over Telegram](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-17.webp) A Telegram bot accepts a DNS question in chat and returns the resolver’s answer as a message, placing lookup behind a messaging interface. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-telegram) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over Twitter](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-16.webp) A short-lived social account accepted DNS lookup requests and posted answers, using a platform API as the client interface. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-twitter) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS over XMPP](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-22.webp) XEP-0418 describes how XMPP can carry DNS requests and responses, bringing resolver lookups into a formal messaging extension. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-over-xmpp) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Blogging via DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-36.webp) txtrex stores blog posts in TXT records: query one name to list posts and another to retrieve a post, making publishing possible with DNS alone. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/blogging-via-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS calculator](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-26.webp) A Reverse Polish calculator accepts operands in a DNS name and returns a dynamically computed answer, a small service you can query with dig. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-calculator) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS geocaching](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-32.webp) A carefully formed DNS query retrieves a geocaching clue in TXT data, turning the resolver into a lightweight interface for a field game. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-geocaching) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS text adventure](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-33.webp) Players issue DNS queries as game actions and read story text in the answers; round-robin responses can add chance to the adventure. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-text-adventure) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS TXT toys](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-40.webp) These TXT-record experiments return ASCII art, mazes, QR codes, music, and games, showing how one textual answer format can support many toys. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/multiple-dns-toys) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS weather](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-35.webp) The Drink DNS server returns current or next-day weather in TXT answers; encode a city and time in the queried name to retrieve the report. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-weather) ![Screenshot used in the talk for dns.toys](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-31.webp) dns.toys exposes small utilities through crafted DNS names, including currency conversion, world time, IP echo, number-to-words, and usable CIDR range calculations. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-toys) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Drink DNS server](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-34.webp) Drink is Stéphane Bortzmeyer’s experimental authoritative DNS server: query different names and record types for dynamic answers such as greetings, client addresses, and diagnostics. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-drink) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Google DNS cartoon](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-28.webp) This comic imagines Google focusing on its 8.8.8.8 public resolver, a cultural snapshot of how visible public DNS became. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/google-dns-lookup) ![Screenshot used in the talk for HTML over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-38.webp) A web client retrieves page content from DNS answers while a conventional server supplies the surrounding page, blurring lookup and content delivery. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/html-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for IP to ASN](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-29.webp) Team Cymru maps an IP address to its autonomous system number through a structured DNS query, giving network operators a scriptable routing lookup. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/ip-to-asn) ![Screenshot used in the talk for ISS location](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-30.webp) A DNS LOC record publishes an approximate location for the International Space Station, updated every 15 minutes on a best-effort basis. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/iss-location) ![Screenshot used in the talk for My IP over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-27.webp) A resolver query reports the client address visible to the DNS service, which can differ from the address configured on the device. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/my-ip-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Wikipedia over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-37.webp) A DNS query triggers a Wikipedia lookup and returns the result in an answer, using DNS as a text retrieval path for clients with limited connectivity. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/wikipedia-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Wordle over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-39.webp) Each DNS query submits a Wordle-style guess and the answer reports game state, expressing an interactive loop in short DNS messages. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/wordle-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Browser data over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-44.webp) Browsertunnel sends arbitrary browser data through DNS prefetch requests. The channel is one-way because browser JavaScript cannot read the DNS answers. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/http-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS tunnelling](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-42.webp) DNS tunnelling encodes data in query names and answers to create a constrained communications channel, a pattern with both legitimate and harmful uses. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-tunnelling) ![Screenshot used in the talk for dnscat2](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-47.webp) dnscat2 provides an encrypted command-and-control channel over DNS, with support for shells, file transfers, and TCP port forwarding. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dnscat2) ![Screenshot used in the talk for File transfer over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-45.webp) FToDNS transfers files through DNS queries and answers, splitting data across a transport with strict size and timing limits. It does not implement the FTP protocol. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/ftp-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for IP over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-43.webp) iodine builds an IP tunnel between two endpoints over DNS, so other IP traffic can use the link, with low throughput and DNS-shaped constraints. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/ip-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for VPN over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-46.webp) The Android app SlowDNS presents a VPN carried over DNS, an inventive option for networks that allow DNS but restrict other traffic. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/vpn-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for AI chatbot over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-58.webp) An experimental chatbot accepts conversational requests as DNS lookups, trading a familiar interface for DNS-sized questions and answers. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/ai-chatbot-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for BIMI records](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-51.webp) BIMI uses DNS records to point mail systems to brand logos; the talk notes that DMARC must be configured before the logo display can be used. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/bimi-records) ![Screenshot used in the talk for CatDNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-52.webp) CatDNS is an intentionally playful authoritative DNS server: ask it for a name and it answers with a cat-themed result. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/catdns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS configuration management](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-49.webp) A Route 53 proposal puts machine configuration in DNS records, using lookups in place of tools such as Puppet, Ansible, or Chef. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-configuration-management) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS key-value store](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-54.webp) DNSKV is a generic public key-value service: names identify keys and DNS answers return values, backed by caches distributed across recursive resolvers. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-key-value-store) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNS NoSQL store](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-50.webp) A NoSQL experiment treats names in a DNS zone as hierarchical keys and their records as values, while inheriting DNS caching and update semantics. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-nosql) ![Screenshot used in the talk for DNSFS cache](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-56.webp) DNSFS layers filesystem operations over DNS and resolver caches; its author demonstrated the design by streaming an MP3 through the DNS-backed filesystem. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dnsfs) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Images in DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-55.webp) This experiment divides image data into DNS-sized fragments and reassembles them at the client, stretching a lookup protocol into bulk transfer. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/images-in-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for Malware in DNS records](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-59.webp) Malicious software can retrieve payload fragments stored in DNS TXT records, using DNS as a delivery channel. This is a defensive case study. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/malware-in-dns-records) ![Screenshot used in the talk for MP3 over DNS](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-57.webp) A shell pipeline requests encoded audio fragments through DNS, rebuilds the bytes, and plays them: an intentionally inefficient media transport. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/mp3-over-dns) ![Screenshot used in the talk for NUM contacts database](https://dns.museum/static/images/talk/thumbnails/slide-53.webp) NUM built a DNS data protocol with an SDK and npm modules; its Yellow Pages example retrieves structured company contacts through public resolver infrastructure. [Read more](https://dns.museum/exhibits/dns-contacts-database)