Starting this weekend, I built HAR Insight a browser-based tool for looking at HTTP Archive (HAR) files.
The main idea: analysis runs on your machine. Your data doesn’t go anywhere unless you explicitly use the optional sharing or AI features. I wanted something I could use (and point others at) without uploading sensitive captures to a third party.
Yes, DNS encryption not hiding IP, that part is true. But still not useless is my point. ISP cannot see exact domains, only IP, and with CDN one IP can be many sites. Also DNS hijack/poison is common, and DoT/DoH stop this cheap attack. VPN is stronger, but DNS encryption is small layer of privacy without moving trust to VPN provider.
You are rightt that DNS encryption doesn’t hide the IP from the destination website and that’s a limitation by design. If the goal is full anonymity, then yes, a VPN or Tor is the way to go.
But I’d push back on the “futility” part. For me (and probably a lot of home users), encrypted DNS solves a different problem:
ISP Snooping & Profiling: Without DNS encryption, my ISP gets a complete log of every hostname I query. That’s valuable metadata even if the actual traffic is HTTPS. Encrypted DNS cuts them out of the loop.
Censorship & Filtering: Many ISPs or countries block sites by poisoning or hijacking DNS. DoT/DoH3 bypasses that without needing to route all traffic through a third party.
Performance & Control: Local caching with AdGuard means faster load times, plus I can filter ads, trackers, and telemetry at the DNS layer, something a VPN alone won’t do.
Reduced Trust Surface: With a VPN, I’m moving all trust to the VPN provider (and hoping they’re honest about logs). With encrypted DNS, I can split that trust between my own AdGuard instance and NextDNS, instead of funneling everything through a single exit point.
So in my view:
VPN = anonymity & hiding your IP
Encrypted DNS = privacy from intermediaries & control over resolution
They solve related but different problems. For “serious” privacy, I agree a VPN or Tor is needed. But for everyday use, encrypted DNS is a huge step up from plain-text queries and actually improves performance
Saying this so you don’t get used to full setup if not needed. Laptop with a good internet connection and a pair of headphones is all I need and use as an SRE
Just make sure you have the essentials. you don’t need fancy setup, bunch of monitors etc, use virtual desktops if needed and just 1 monitor so you can work from wherever you want.