Node-Local DNS

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Overview

The Node-Local DNS add-on runs a small DNS cache on every node in the cluster as a DaemonSet. Pods send their DNS queries to the local cache on the node instead of reaching the central cluster DNS service over the network, which:

• Lowers DNS latency — most lookups are answered from the on-node cache.
• Reduces load on cluster DNS — only cache misses are forwarded to the cluster DNS service.
• Avoids UDP conntrack races — a well-known source of intermittent 5-second DNS timeouts in Kubernetes.

The cache listens on the standard link-local address (169.254.20.10), caches in-cluster (cluster.local) and reverse-lookup zones, and forwards everything else to the cluster DNS service. It also exposes Prometheus metrics, which the Metrics add-on collects when enabled. This add-on is recommended alongside the KubeVirt add-on, where reliable in-cluster name resolution for VM guests matters most.

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Supported Providers

• All providers are supported

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How to Enable

The Node-Local DNS add-on can be enabled during cluster creation or at any time thereafter. It takes no configuration — enabling it is a simple toggle.

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At Cluster Creation

• Through Cluster Manifest: Add the following snippet to your cluster manifest when creating the cluster:
  YAML

  spec:
    ...
    addOns:
      nodeLocalDns: {}
    ...
  
• Using the Console: If you’re creating the cluster through the console, navigate to Add-ons, find the Node-Local DNS add-on in the list of available add-ons, and toggle it on.

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After Cluster Creation

If the Node-Local DNS add-on was not enabled during cluster creation, you can still enable it using either of the following methods:

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Using Manifest

To enable the Node-Local DNS add-on after cluster creation, add the following to your cluster’s YAML manifest:

• Direct Edit & Apply: Navigate to your cluster in the Console, and use the Edit & Apply option.
• CLI Application: Apply the entire manifest using the cpln apply >_ command or through the cpln CLI.
  YAML

  spec:
    ...
    addOns:
      nodeLocalDns: {}
    ...
  

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Using the UI

1. Navigate to the Control Plane Console: Open Control Plane Console.
2. Select Your Kubernetes Cluster: In the Control Plane Console, go to Kubernetes in the left sidebar, and click on the cluster you wish to configure.
3. Enable the Add-on: Choose Add-ons, find the Node-Local DNS add-on in the list, and toggle it on.

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Next steps