HTTP-based Smart Transportation of DNS Queries and Applications

In this paper we introduce a system, called DJSON, which enables HTTP transport of Domain Name System traffic. DJSON enables re-encoding of the existing Domain Name System message format, so that it can traverse hostile territory with confidence without modifying the underlying Domain Name System design. In DJSON, Domain Name System messages are sent and received with a properly formatted HTML using a JSON encoding that allows bidirectional mapping to and from traditional Domain Name System transport encodings. This guarantees that interoperability is no worse than it is today. HTTP can be used to work around the problem where middle boxes have interoperability problems. DJSON aims to solve several real-world and operational problems. DJSON is designed to “bridge” Domain Name System across areas where Domain Name System packets might be mangled, deliberately modified or blocked. DJSON further aims to enable and address improved reliability, availability, and security. Detailed discussions, experiments run on a prototype of DJSON, and analysis show the effectiveness and relevance of our work.