Yes, CoreDNS in Kubernetes is fully supported.

Xitogent reads CoreDNS Prometheus metrics endpoint.

DNS Server

CoreDNS Monitoring

Monitor CoreDNS query rates, cache hit ratios, resolution latency, and error rates in real time with zero configuration.

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Why monitor CoreDNS?

CoreDNS is the default DNS server for Kubernetes and cloud-native environments. Monitoring CoreDNS ensures fast DNS resolution, healthy cache performance, and reliable service discovery for your infrastructure.

Auto-discovery via Xitogent

Query rate monitoring

Cache hit/miss ratio

Resolution latency tracking

Error and SERVFAIL rates

Per-zone metrics

Plugin-level monitoring

1-minute collection intervals

Metrics

What we monitor

Queries/sec

DNS query rate.

Cache Hit Ratio

Percentage of cache-served queries.

Resolution Latency

Average DNS resolution time.

SERVFAIL Rate

Failed resolution percentage.

NXDOMAIN Rate

Non-existent domain query rate.

Upstream Latency

Forwarded query response time.

Triggers & Alerts

Configurable alert triggers

Set up custom triggers in your dashboard to get notified the moment CoreDNS metrics cross your defined thresholds.

CoreDNS monitoring trigger configuration dashboard

SERVFAIL Rate

critical

Fires on high resolution failure rate.

Cache Hit Ratio

warning

Alerts when cache effectiveness drops.

Resolution Latency

warning

Triggers on slow DNS resolution.

Query Rate

warning

Fires on unusual query volume.

Importance of CoreDNS Monitoring

DNS is the foundation of network connectivity. Slow or failing DNS resolution impacts every service in your infrastructure.

Ensure fast DNS resolution
Detect SERVFAIL spikes immediately
Monitor cache for optimal performance
Track upstream resolver health

Why Choose Xitoring

Zero-config CoreDNS monitoring.

One-command install
Global nodes
Unified dashboard
Multi-channel alerts

Before you start

Prerequisites for CoreDNS

Make sure you've got these in place — most installs are a 60-second job once they are.

CoreDNS 1.x running on the server
Prometheus plugin enabled in your Corefile (default port 9153)
Network reachability from Xitogent to the metrics endpoint

Setup Guide

Get started in minutes

Install Xitogent on your server

If you haven't already, install the lightweight Xitogent monitoring agent on the host running CoreDNS.

curl -s https://xitoring.com/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --key=YOUR_API_KEY

Enable the prometheus plugin in CoreDNS

CoreDNS exposes Prometheus-format metrics through its prometheus plugin (default endpoint :9153/metrics). Add `prometheus :9153` to your Corefile and reload CoreDNS, then confirm the metrics endpoint is reachable from the agent host.

sudo xitogent integrate

Enable the CoreDNS integration

Use the Xitoring dashboard or CLI to enable the CoreDNS integration. Xitogent auto-detects the metrics endpoint and starts collecting query, cache, and latency metrics.

Configure alert thresholds (optional)

Set custom thresholds for SERVFAIL Rate, Cache Hit Ratio, or Resolution Latency to get notified the moment DNS reliability or performance degrades.

Verify it's working

Run this command on the server to confirm Xitogent picked up the integration. Fresh metrics will start streaming to your dashboard within ~30 seconds.

sudo xitogent status

Compare

Considering alternatives?

See how Xitoring stacks up against the alternatives for CoreDNS monitoring — flat pricing, deeper integrations, and one agent that covers your whole stack.