How to Install SmartDNS on NixOS Latest

SmartDNS is an open-source DNS server that is easy to install and configure. It offers advanced features like DNS-based ad blocking, local DNS caching, and DNS-over-HTTPS. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install SmartDNS on NixOS Latest using the GitHub repository.

Prerequisites

NixOS Latest installed on your system.
A basic understanding of the Linux command line.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before we install SmartDNS, we need to update our system to make sure we have the latest packages and dependencies. Run the following command to update your system:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch

Step 2: Install SmartDNS

The easiest way to install SmartDNS on NixOS Latest is to use the GitHub repository. Follow the steps below to install:

Clone the SmartDNS repository using Git:

git clone https://github.com/pymumu/smartdns.git
cd smartdns

Build the SmartDNS package using Nix:
```
nix-build -A package
```

Install the package:

sudo nix-env -f default.nix -iA package

Step 3: Configure SmartDNS

Now that we have installed SmartDNS, we need to configure it. By default, SmartDNS listens on port 53, which is the standard DNS port.

Create a configuration file for SmartDNS:

sudo mkdir /etc/smartdns
sudo nano /etc/smartdns/smartdns.conf

Add the following lines to the configuration file:
```
nameserver 8.8.8.8
cache-size 1000
include /etc/smartdns/includes/*
```
These lines configure SmartDNS to use Google's DNS server (8.8.8.8), set the cache size to 1000, and include any additional configuration files located in the /etc/smartdns/includes directory.
Create an includes directory and add any additional configuration files you need:
```
sudo mkdir /etc/smartdns/includes
sudo nano /etc/smartdns/includes/example.conf
```
Add any additional configuration settings you need to the example.conf file.
Start the SmartDNS service:
```
sudo systemctl start smartdns
```

Verify that the service is running and that SmartDNS is functioning correctly:

sudo systemctl status smartdns
dig example.com @127.0.0.1 # You can replace example.com with any domain name

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed SmartDNS on NixOS using the GitHub repository. You can now enjoy advanced features like DNS-based ad blocking, local DNS caching, and DNS-over-HTTPS. If you have any issues, please refer to the SmartDNS GitHub repository or NixOS documentation.