---
description: Resolve private hostnames within your network with Internal DNS.
title: Internal DNS
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png
---
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# Internal DNS
Last updated Jul 16, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/)
Simplify private network management with Cloudflare DNS for your internal resources.
Enterprise-only
Manage DNS records that should only be accessible within your private network. Internal DNS [zones](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/internal-zones/) and [views](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/dns-views/) pair up with [Gateway resolver policies](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/traffic-policies/resolver-policies/) so that you can control how a DNS query should be responded to according to query context, such as query source IP.
Internal DNS is included with [Cloudflare Gateway](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/traffic-policies/) for Enterprise customers. There is no additional SKU or separate subscription required.
## Architecture overview
You can use different [connectivity options](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/connectivity/) to on-ramp your traffic to Cloudflare. Then, Cloudflare Gateway resolver acts as an interface between the DNS client and internal DNS zones.
Internal DNS zones do not get assigned Cloudflare nameservers and can only be queried via Cloudflare Gateway resolver.
flowchart LR
accTitle: Internal DNS query overview
accDescr: Diagram comparing internal DNS query with public DNS
A[Client]
subgraph Cloudflare account
subgraph Gateway
B[Default 1.1.1.1 resolver]
X[Resolver policy selecting an internal DNS view]
end
subgraph Authoritative DNS
Y[(Public DNS)]
Z[(Internal DNS)]
end
end
C[Public resolver]
B --Query--> Y
X --Query + View ID--> Z
A --Query--> B
A --Query--> X
C --Query--> Y
Internal DNS zones are grouped into DNS views, which are selected by the resolver policy you define. Views are usually logical groupings relevant to your organization, such as different geographical locations.
flowchart LR
accTitle: Internal DNS views and zones
accDescr: Diagram exemplifying Internal DNS views and zones relationship
subgraph Internal DNS
subgraph View 111 - London
Y[Zone 600 example.local]
Z[Zone 601 local]
end
subgraph View 110 - San Francisco
X[Zone 101 example.com]
B[Zone 100 example.local]
S[Zone 102 com]
end
W[Zone 701 net]
end
Internal DNS zones contain the [DNS records](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/internal-zones/internal-dns-records/) that should be used to resolve an internal DNS query. Also, if no internal record is found within a matching internal zone, Cloudflare will check if the matching internal zone is [referencing another internal zone](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/internal-zones/reference-zones/).
flowchart LR
accTitle: Internal DNS zones and internal records
accDescr: Diagram exemplifying Internal DNS zones and records relationship
subgraph View 111 - London
subgraph Zone 601 - local
S["@ A 192.0.2.10"]
T["ghi.example A 192.0.2.15"]
end
subgraph Zone 600 - example.local
X["@ A 192.0.2.1"]
Y["abc A 192.0.2.6"]
Z["def A 192.0.2.9"]
end
end
In this example, a query for `ghi.example.local` routed to view ID 111 would go to zone 600, which presents the longest matching zone name (`example.local`). Zone 600 does not contain a record for `ghi` but, if it is referencing zone 601, Cloudflare will then look for the queried record within the reference zone.
## Resources
* [Get started](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/get-started/)
* [Internal zones](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/internal-zones/)
* [Manage DNS views](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/dns-views/)
* [Connect to Gateway resolver](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/connectivity/)
* [Analytics and logs](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/internal-dns/analytics/)
## Related products
[Cloudflare Gateway](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/traffic-policies/)
Set up policies to inspect DNS, Network, HTTP, and Egress traffic.
[Cloudflare WAN](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-wan/)
Improve security and performance for your entire corporate networking, reducing cost and operation complexity.
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## On this page
[Docs](https://developers.cloudflare.com/)
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