---
title: "Split-horizon DNS"
description: "Split-horizon DNS returns different answers for the same name depending on who is asking. Learn how it works and its typical use cases."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/split-horizon-dns"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Split-horizon DNS

> Split-horizon DNS is a configuration in which a server returns different answers for the same domain name depending on the source of the query.

**Split-horizon DNS** (also called split-view DNS) is a [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns) server configuration in which the same domain name returns different answers depending on where the query came from. In other words, a single domain — for example *app.company.com* — can point to one address for a user on the local network and to another for a user on the internet.

## How split-horizon DNS works

The DNS server maintains at least two independent "views" of the same zone. When it receives a query, it identifies the client's origin — usually by its [IP address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ip-address) or the interface the query arrived on — and selects the appropriate version of the answer:

- **internal view** — for queries from the local network or over VPN; it returns private IP addresses of servers and services,
- **external view** — for queries from the internet; it returns public addresses, usually routed through a firewall or reverse proxy.

As a result, the same host name works consistently both inside and outside the company, but internal traffic does not have to "exit" to the outside and come back. Popular DNS servers support this configuration, among others through a views mechanism.

## Split-horizon DNS in practice

Split-horizon DNS is standard in corporate networks and hybrid environments. It lets an employee in the office reach a system by a fast private address on the [intranet](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/intranet), while the same address from outside routes through a public entry point secured by a [reverse proxy](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/reverse-proxy) and firewall. The approach improves performance, simplifies application configuration (one host name in every environment) and increases security by hiding the internal network topology from the outside world.

### Why is split-horizon DNS used?

Most often so that users on the internal network reach a service by its private IP address (faster and more secure), while users from the internet reach it by its public address. It also helps hide the internal network structure from the outside world.

## Related

- [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns)
- [DNS Server](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns-server)
- [IP Address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ip-address)
- [Intranet](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/intranet)
- [Reverse Proxy](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/reverse-proxy)

---

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