European company, European law
Your contract is with Sooma, with an EU invoice and the GDPR applying. No dependence on a provider subject to non-EU laws for the one service everything else relies on.
A Sooma service · Anycast DNS
The DNS that always answers. And answers from nearby.
Your domains served simultaneously from 57 points of presence on 6 continents. Every query is answered by the one closest to whoever is asking: faster, and far harder to take down by attack or outage.
57points of presence
6continents
20in Europe, including Lisbon and Porto
Includeddomain registration and renewals
- A European companyEuropean-owned, based in Portugal since 2018, subject only to European law.
- Over 100,000 mailboxesThe infrastructure behind the 40,000 mailboxes of the Portuguese Bar Association.
- Servers in EuropeIn NOS's data centre in Portugal, with the support team in Europe.
- Email, DNS and hostingAbout Sooma
Why DNS matters
Before the site opens, before the email arrives, someone asks the DNS.
DNS translates yourdomain.eu into the address of the server where your site, mail or application lives. Every visit, every message and every API call starts with that question. When DNS is slow, everything is slow. When it stops answering, the site looks down and mail bounces, even with the servers running perfectly.
A single point of failure that goes unnoticed. Companies invest in redundant hosting and backups, and leave DNS on one or two servers in the same data centre. DNSPRO removes that single point.
Depends on DNS: the website and shop, email (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, APIs, VPN, SSL certificates and VoIP.
- 1
The visitor types the address
The browser only knows the name. It doesn't yet know where the site is.
- 2
The resolver asks the authoritative DNS
This is where DNSPRO comes in: we give the official answer about your domain.
- 3
The answer arrives in milliseconds
With anycast, it comes from the nearest point of presence, not from the other side of the world.
- 4
Only then does the connection start
TCP, TLS and the first page all wait for step 3. The same happens with every email.
How anycast works
One address. Fifty-seven places to answer from.
In conventional DNS, each nameserver has an IP address that exists in one place: a query from Sydney crosses half the world to Lisbon and back. In anycast, the same address is announced from every point of presence at once, and the internet itself carries each query to the nearest one.
The same IP, announced everywhere
The addresses of ns1 to ns4.dnspro.pt are announced over BGP, the protocol that connects the networks of the internet, from each of the 57 points of presence.
The network picks the shortest path
The operators' routers send each query to the nearest point of presence in network terms. Nothing is configured on the side of whoever is asking.
Every point knows the same thing
A change to a record reaches the whole network in about a minute. Whether Lisbon or Tokyo answers, the answer is the same.
If a site fails, the network routes around it
That site's BGP announcement is withdrawn and traffic moves to the next one, in seconds, without waiting for TTL and without human intervention.
Estimated round trip —
Values estimated from distance (light in fibre at about 200,000 km/s, real paths about 1.4 times the straight line), not measurements. In "Single server", one nameserver in Lisbon. Press "Anycast" to compare.
Why Sooma
Free DNS resolves names. The difference is who answers when something breaks, and under which law.
The DNS that comes with your domain registration or hosting is fine to start with, and large US platforms offer free tiers. DNSPRO is for organisations that want DNS treated as critical infrastructure, by a European company you can phone.
Support in English from people who run DNS at scale
The team that answers manages over 100,000 mailboxes and thousands of domains. Not a first-line chat: the people who configure DNS every day.
The domain is included
Registration and renewals included when administrative management is delegated to Sooma, for .eu, .com, .net, .org, .pt and the main European TLDs. For many customers, this pays for the service.
Fully managed zone, or your own servers
By default, Sooma takes full management of the zone on the anycast network and makes changes for you. If you prefer to keep your own primary servers, public or hidden, DNSPRO also works as a secondary and answers the world from them.
Assisted migration, no downtime
We import the zone, review the website and email records with you, and only then switch the nameservers. During propagation, old and new servers give the same answers.
One price per zone, no small print
€17.50 per domain per month, unlimited DNS queries, DNSSEC and IPv6 included. Monthly billing, no lock-in.
What anycast gives you
Faster for visitors. Harder to take down for attackers.
Faster resolution anywhere in the world
A customer in Brazil or Asia no longer pays for an intercontinental round trip on every lookup: they are answered in their own region, in a few milliseconds. That time counts towards TTFB and the Core Web Vitals Google measures.
DDoS attacks diluted across the network
Against a single server, saturating one link is enough. On an anycast network the attack is spread across the points of presence nearest each source, each absorbs and filters its share, and the other regions keep answering.
Automatic failover and geographic redundancy
A failed site stops being announced and the internet simply stops reaching it, in seconds and without depending on TTL. With servers on 6 continents, a regional outage or a damaged submarine cable affects part of the network, not your domain.
Peaks absorbed by the network
Traffic spreads itself across the anycast servers according to where the queries come from. A launch, a campaign or a live event never overloads a single server.
Email that reaches its destination
Before accepting a message from you, the receiving server checks your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and BIMI. If DNS doesn't answer in time, the message is deferred or rejected. Without an answer to the MX lookup, nobody can reach you.
DNSSEC and IPv6 included
Zones can be signed with DNSSEC, which stops forged answers from diverting your visitors or your mail. All four nameservers answer over IPv4 and IPv6, ready for the mobile networks that already run mostly on IPv6.
Side by side
The DNS you already have and DNSPRO Anycast
Most companies use the DNS bundled with their hosting or registrar. It covers the basics. The difference shows when traffic comes from far away, when there is an attack, or when something fails.
| Hosting or registrar DNS | DNSPRO Anycast | |
|---|---|---|
| Places that answer | Usually 1 to 3, often in the same data centre | 57 points of presence on 6 continents |
| When a server fails | Resolvers wait and try the next one; visible delays | The network routes around it in seconds, via BGP |
| DDoS attack | Concentrates on one target and saturates it | Spread across dozens of sites and mitigated |
| Change propagation | Between primary and secondaries, sometimes delayed | About a minute across the whole network |
| Who answers when it breaks | A ticket with the hosting provider | The Sooma team, in English, business days 9am to 6pm (WET) |
The network
57 points of presence. Twenty of them in Europe.
Lisbon and Porto serve Portugal, and the whole of Europe is covered from nearby. Configurations synchronise simultaneously across every site. Historical availability of 100%: you can follow the service live on the status page.
See the 51 disclosed locations for security reasons, some are not disclosed
Europe 20
- Portugal, Lisbon
- Portugal, Porto
- Austria, Vienna
- Bulgaria, Sofia
- Finland, Helsinki
- France, Paris
- Germany, Frankfurt
- Italy, Milan
- Netherlands, Steenbergen
- Norway, Sandefjord
- Poland, Wroclaw
- Poland, Wyszków
- Romania, Bucharest
- Russia, Moscow
- Spain, Madrid
- Sweden, Stockholm
- Switzerland, Zurich
- Turkey, Istanbul
- Ukraine, Kyiv
- United Kingdom, London
North America 16
- Canada, Montreal
- Canada, Toronto
- USA, Ashburn
- USA, Atlanta
- USA, Buffalo
- USA, Chicago
- USA, Dallas
- USA, Denver
- USA, Kansas City
- USA, Los Angeles
- USA, Miami
- USA, New York
- USA, Phoenix
- USA, Salt Lake City
- USA, Seattle
- USA, Silicon Valley
Asia and Middle East 8
- Hong Kong
- India, Delhi
- India, Mumbai
- Israel, Tel Aviv
- Japan, Tokyo
- Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
- Singapore
- Taiwan, Taipei
South America 3
- Argentina, Buenos Aires
- Brazil, São Paulo
- Chile, Santiago
Oceania 3
- Australia, Melbourne
- Australia, Sydney
- New Zealand, Auckland
Africa 1
- South Africa, Johannesburg
Your nameservers
Once DNSPRO is activated, your domain uses these four nameservers. Each has an IPv4 and an IPv6 address, and each is anycast: all four are present across the whole network.
; your domain's delegation ns1.dnspro.pt 185.136.96.168 2a06:fb00:1::1:168 ns2.dnspro.pt 185.136.97.168 2a06:fb00:1::2:168 ns3.dnspro.pt 185.136.98.168 2a06:fb00:1::3:168 ns4.dnspro.pt 185.136.99.168 2a06:fb00:1::4:168
References
Trusted by organisations that cannot fail
Government bodies, banks, regulators, media and large groups trust their DNS to Sooma's anycast network.
Portuguese Court of Auditors
Pricing
One price per zone. Everything included.
A zone is a domain, with all its subdomains and records. Prices per month, excluding VAT.
Domain management
€2.50/ month per zone
For those who only want to hand domain management to Sooma.
- Administrative management of the domain delegated to Sooma
- Domain registration and renewals included
- DNS records managed by the Sooma team
- Support in English
Recommended
DNSPRO Anycast
€17.50/ month per zone
Everything in Domain management, plus the anycast network.
- 57 points of presence on 6 continents, 20 in Europe
- Unlimited DNS queries
- DDoS protection and mitigation, automatic failover via BGP
- Changes across the whole network in about a minute
- DNSSEC, IPv4 and IPv6; fully managed zone by Sooma, or secondary mode for your own primaries
- Domain registration and renewals included, assisted migration
BillingMonthly, per zone, with an EU invoice. No lock-in.
ActivationWe contact you within one business day; migration happens with no downtime.
SupportTeam in Europe, business days 9am to 6pm (WET), by phone and email.
Domain includedWith administrative management delegated to Sooma, for .eu, .com, .net, .org, .pt, .es, .fr, .de and other generic and European TLDs.
What does it cost for your domains?
DNSPRO Anycast, per month€52.50
Request activation for 3 zones
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us before switching
Does the switch cause any downtime?
No. Before the switch, the zone is configured on DNSPRO with the same data as your current provider. While the nameservers propagate, which usually takes a few hours and can take up to 48, old and new servers give the same answers. Visitors don't notice.
What exactly is a zone?
The set of DNS records for one domain: the website address, the email records, subdomains such as shop.company.eu, and everything else. One domain is one zone, however many subdomains or records it has.
Does it work with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Sooma Mail?
Yes. DNSPRO supports the records these services need (MX, TXT for SPF, DKIM and DMARC, CNAME and SRV for autodiscovery) and BIMI to show your brand's logo in inboxes. Your website, email and applications stay where they are: only the answer to "where is this domain?" changes.
Who manages the zone? Can I keep my own primary DNS server?
By default, Sooma takes full management of the zone: it lives on the anycast network and the team makes the changes you ask for. If you prefer to keep your own primary servers, public or hidden, DNSPRO works as secondary DNS: you keep making changes on your servers, the network receives the zone by transfer (AXFR/IXFR with NOTIFY) and answers the world.
What does "registration and renewals included" mean?
If administrative management of the domain is delegated to Sooma, registration and renewals of that domain are included in the price. It applies to generic and European top-level domains such as .eu, .com, .net, .org, .pt, .es, .fr and .de.
Is DNSSEC included?
Yes. Zones can be signed with DNSSEC. Once signed, we publish or give you the DS record to place at the domain registry, closing the chain of trust.
Does anycast replace a CDN or a firewall?
No. Anycast protects and speeds up DNS, the first step of every visit. A CDN speeds up content delivery and an application firewall protects the server. They are complementary layers and DNSPRO works with any of them.
Request activation
Put your domains on the anycast network
Tell us which domains and where your DNS is today. We reply within one business day with a quote and the migration plan. No commitment.
Request received. Thank you.
We will contact you within one business day, by email or phone. Request reference: .
Prefer to talk to us?
Team in Europe, business days 9am to 6pm (WET).