doggo — Command-Line DNS Client for Humans

Introduction

doggo is a modern DNS client for the command line that replaces dig with a more readable and user-friendly interface. It supports DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC, and outputs results in colorized tabular format that is easy to scan.

What doggo Does

• Performs DNS queries with colorized, human-readable tabular output
• Supports DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), DNS-over-TLS (DoT), and DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ)
• Queries any record type: A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA, SRV, and more
• Supports reverse DNS lookups and multiple query targets in a single command
• Outputs results in JSON format for scripting and automation

Architecture Overview

doggo is written in Go and uses the miekg/dns library for DNS protocol handling. It builds queries from command-line arguments, sends them over the selected transport (UDP, TCP, DoH, DoT, or DoQ), and formats responses into a colored table. The JSON output mode makes it composable with tools like jq.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via Homebrew: brew install doggo
• Or download a binary from GitHub releases for Linux, macOS, and Windows
• Specify a DNS server with @ prefix: doggo example.com @8.8.8.8
• Use DoH with doggo example.com @https://dns.google/dns-query
• Use DoT with doggo example.com @tls://dns.google

Key Features

• Clean colorized output that is easier to read than dig
• Native support for encrypted DNS protocols (DoH, DoT, DoQ)
• JSON output mode for scripting: doggo example.com --json | jq .
• Multiple queries in a single command: doggo A example.com MX example.com
• Lightweight single binary with no external dependencies

Comparison with Similar Tools

• dig — The classic DNS tool; doggo provides better formatting and encrypted DNS support
• dog — Another modern DNS client; doggo adds DoQ support and JSON output
• drill — Part of ldns; less user-friendly output than doggo
• nslookup — Basic DNS lookup; lacks DoH/DoT and structured output

FAQ

Q: How is doggo different from dig? A: doggo provides colorized tabular output, built-in DoH/DoT/DoQ support, and JSON output mode.

Q: Can I use it with encrypted DNS? A: Yes. Prefix the server with https://, tls://, or quic:// for DoH, DoT, or DoQ.

Q: Does it support scripting? A: Yes. Use --json to get structured JSON output suitable for piping to jq or other tools.

Q: What platforms are supported? A: Linux, macOS, and Windows via pre-built binaries or Go install.

Sources

• https://github.com/mr-karan/doggo
• https://doggo.mrkaran.dev/