Using NextDNS as Web FIlter on Linux (Debian)

Hi all, I was looking for a way to filter the internet on a Linux PC, and I found that using DNS alone wasn’t good enough since it’s easy to bypass. So I put together a more durable setup. Which can be found in the attached pdf.

The configuration forces all DNS through a local NextDNS daemon, locks /etc/resolv.conf, and uses nftables to block external DNS completely. On top of that, it blocks common VPN protocols, Tor ports, and QUIC/HTTP3, and uses a two-account model (“guardian” vs daily user) so the filtering can’t be casually undone — even with sudo.

If you’re looking for a way to make NextDNS truly system-wide and resistant to tampering (for yourself, kids, or shared machines), this might be useful. If you’re still learning Linux or want something easy to roll back, it probably isn’t.