pfsense-dnsmasq-interface-binding

name	pfsense-dnsmasq-interface-binding
description	Restrict pfSense dnsmasq (DNS Forwarder) to specific interfaces to free port 53 on other interfaces for port forwarding. Use when: (1) pfSense blocks port 53 NAT port forward because dnsmasq is listening on *:53, (2) need to forward DNS from WAN to an internal DNS server while preserving client source IPs, (3) dnsmasq shows *:53 in sockstat despite --listen-address flags, (4) pfSense loses DNS resolution after restricting dnsmasq interfaces, (5) NAT rdr rules for port 53 silently fail to generate in /tmp/rules.debug.
author	Claude Code
version	1.0.0
date	"2026-02-17T00:00:00.000Z"

pfSense dnsmasq Interface Binding for DNS Port Forwarding

Problem

pfSense's dnsmasq (DNS Forwarder) binds to *:53 by default. This prevents creating NAT port forward rules for port 53 — pfSense silently skips generating the pf rdr directive. You need to restrict dnsmasq to specific interfaces to free port 53 on other interfaces (e.g., WAN) for forwarding to an internal DNS server.

Context / Trigger Conditions

• Attempting to create a NAT port forward for port 53 on the WAN interface
• Port forward rule saves to config.xml but pfctl -sn shows no corresponding rdr rule
• sockstat -4 | grep ":53" shows dnsmasq on *:53
• Goal: Forward DNS queries from one network to an internal DNS server (e.g., Technitium) while preserving client source IPs (no masquerading)

Solution

Step 1: Bind dnsmasq to specific interfaces

Set the interface field in pfSense's dnsmasq config:

ssh admin@10.0.20.1 'php -r '"'"'
require_once("config.inc");
require_once("service-utils.inc");
global $config;
$config = parse_config(true);
$config["dnsmasq"]["interface"] = "lan,opt1";  // Only LAN and OPT1, NOT wan
write_config("Bind dnsmasq to LAN and OPT1 only");
'"'"''

This adds --listen-address=<IP> flags to dnsmasq but does NOT change socket binding.

Step 2: Add bind-dynamic (CRITICAL)

Without bind-dynamic, dnsmasq still binds the socket to *:53 even with --listen-address flags. The --listen-address only controls which queries get responses, not the actual socket binding.

ssh admin@10.0.20.1 'php -r '"'"'
require_once("config.inc");
require_once("service-utils.inc");
global $config;
$config = parse_config(true);
$existing = base64_decode($config["dnsmasq"]["custom_options"]);
if (strpos($existing, "bind-dynamic") === false) {
    $existing = "bind-dynamic\n" . $existing;
    $config["dnsmasq"]["custom_options"] = base64_encode($existing);
    write_config("Add bind-dynamic to restrict dnsmasq socket binding");
}
'"'"''

Step 3: Add localhost listen address (CRITICAL)

pfSense's own resolv.conf points to 127.0.0.1. Without this, pfSense itself loses DNS resolution after the interface restriction.

# Add to custom_options (base64-encoded in config):
listen-address=127.0.0.1

Step 4: Restart dnsmasq

services_dnsmasq_configure();

Step 5: Verify binding

sockstat -4 | grep ":53 "
# Should show specific IPs, not *:53:
# 127.0.0.1:53
# 10.0.10.1:53  (lan)
# 10.0.20.1:53  (opt1)
# NOT 192.168.1.2:53 (wan)

Step 6: Add the port forward rule

Critical format note: The source field must use array("any" => ""), NOT array("network" => "192.168.1.0/24"). The CIDR source format silently fails to generate the pf rdr directive.

ssh admin@10.0.20.1 'php -r '"'"'
require_once("config.inc");
require_once("filter.inc");
require_once("shaper.inc");
global $config;
$config = parse_config(true);

$rule = array(
    "source" => array("any" => ""),           // MUST be "any", not CIDR
    "destination" => array(
        "network" => "wanip",
        "port" => "53"
    ),
    "ipprotocol" => "inet",
    "protocol" => "udp",
    "target" => "10.0.20.204",                // Internal DNS server
    "local-port" => "53",
    "interface" => "wan",
    "associated-rule-id" => "pass",
    "descr" => "DNS to internal DNS (preserve client IP)",
    "created" => array("time" => (string)time(), "username" => "admin"),
    "updated" => array("time" => (string)time(), "username" => "admin")
);
array_unshift($config["nat"]["rule"], $rule);
write_config("Add DNS port forward");
filter_configure();
'"'"''

Step 7: Verify the redirect rule

pfctl -sn | grep "domain\|:53"
# Should show: rdr pass on vtnet0 inet proto udp from any to 192.168.1.2 port = domain -> 10.0.20.204

Verification

1. pfSense own DNS: nslookup google.com 127.0.0.1 (from pfSense shell)
2. Internal DNS: nslookup google.com 10.0.20.1 (from LAN/OPT1 clients)
3. Port forward: dig @192.168.1.2 example.com (from WAN-side client)
4. Client IP: Check DNS server logs — should show real client IP, not pfSense IP

Pitfalls

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
Missing bind-dynamic	sockstat shows *:53, port forward still blocked	Add bind-dynamic to custom_options
Missing listen-address=127.0.0.1	pfSense loses all DNS resolution	Add to custom_options
Source "network" => "CIDR" in NAT rule	Rule saves to config but no rdr in pfctl -sn	Use "any" => "" instead
Using local $config variable	Config not persisted after PHP exit	Always use global $config
Not calling filter_configure()	Rule in config.xml but not in pf	Call after write_config()
Custom options not base64	dnsmasq fails to start	pfSense stores custom_options as base64

Notes

• bind-dynamic is preferred over bind-interfaces because it handles interfaces that come up after dnsmasq starts (e.g., VPN tunnels)
• The pf rdr rule is a redirect, not masquerade — source IP is preserved
• dnsmasq custom_options in pfSense config.xml are base64-encoded
• Check /tmp/rules.debug for the generated pf ruleset (before loading into pf)
• Use pfctl -sn to see rules actually loaded in the running firewall

See also

• pfsense — General pfSense management skill
• k8s-ndots-search-domain-nxdomain-flood — Related DNS optimization