[GH-ISSUE #6053] [Feature Request] DNS source-network views (split-horizon DNS per peer group / subnet) #12797

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opened 2026-08-05 02:06:42 -04:00 by saavagebueno · 0 comments
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Originally created by @renne on GitHub (May 2, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/6053

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

We want to deploy a netbirdio/proxy (Netbird Reverse Proxy) instance in every physical LAN subnet to keep traffic local and avoid hairpinning through an internet-facing VPS uplink. All proxy instances serve the same wildcard domain (e.g. *.proxy.example.com), but each has a different LAN IP. Clients in each subnet should resolve that domain to their local proxy IP.

Today this is impossible with Netbird DNS alone. The DNS engine uses a push model — Custom Zones and Nameserver Groups are distributed to peer groups, but DNS records are static. There is no way to return different A/AAAA/CNAME records for the same FQDN depending on which peer group (subnet) the query originates from.

Describe the solution you'd like

Allow per-group DNS record sets for the same domain — essentially DNS views scoped to Netbird peer groups:

  • Option A (preferred): Allow multiple Custom Zones with the same domain name, each with its own record set and distribution group. A peer in group lan-a receives the A record pointing to 192.168.1.10; a peer in group lan-b receives 10.0.2.10. Mutually exclusive peer groups prevent ambiguity / round-robin.
  • Option B: Allow a source-CIDR filter on Nameserver Groups so the management server can push different upstream resolver config based on the peer's network segment.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Deploy an external DNS server with view support (BIND9 views, CoreDNS policy plugin) and point a Netbird match-domain Nameserver Group at it. This works but adds an infrastructure component purely to work around a Netbird DNS limitation.

Additional context

This is the missing piece for true multi-site HA reverse-proxy deployments using only Netbird DNS — no external DNS server required. It aligns naturally with the peer-group model already used throughout Netbird for access control and routing.

Originally created by @renne on GitHub (May 2, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/6053 **Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** We want to deploy a `netbirdio/proxy` (Netbird Reverse Proxy) instance in every physical LAN subnet to keep traffic local and avoid hairpinning through an internet-facing VPS uplink. All proxy instances serve the same wildcard domain (e.g. `*.proxy.example.com`), but each has a different LAN IP. Clients in each subnet should resolve that domain to *their local* proxy IP. Today this is impossible with Netbird DNS alone. The DNS engine uses a **push model** — Custom Zones and Nameserver Groups are distributed *to* peer groups, but DNS records are static. There is no way to return different `A`/`AAAA`/`CNAME` records for the same FQDN depending on which peer group (subnet) the query originates from. **Describe the solution you'd like** Allow **per-group DNS record sets for the same domain** — essentially DNS views scoped to Netbird peer groups: - **Option A (preferred):** Allow multiple Custom Zones with the same domain name, each with its own record set and distribution group. A peer in group `lan-a` receives the `A` record pointing to `192.168.1.10`; a peer in group `lan-b` receives `10.0.2.10`. Mutually exclusive peer groups prevent ambiguity / round-robin. - **Option B:** Allow a source-CIDR filter on Nameserver Groups so the management server can push different upstream resolver config based on the peer's network segment. **Describe alternatives you've considered** Deploy an external DNS server with view support (BIND9 `views`, CoreDNS policy plugin) and point a Netbird match-domain Nameserver Group at it. This works but adds an infrastructure component purely to work around a Netbird DNS limitation. **Additional context** This is the missing piece for true multi-site HA reverse-proxy deployments using only Netbird DNS — no external DNS server required. It aligns naturally with the peer-group model already used throughout Netbird for access control and routing.
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Reference: DYNR/netbird#12797