Configure Opera for Secure DNSaaS

📋 Overview

Opera includes built-in support for DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) under the System settings. This guide will help you configure Opera to use our secure DNSaaS service with token-based authentication.

Service	Endpoint	Authentication
Primary DNS	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns`	Token in URL path
Protocol	DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) • Port 443 • TLS 1.3
Opera Version	Version 80+ (all recent versions)

💡 Opera DNS Settings Location Important: Opera's DNS settings are in System, NOT in Privacy & Security! Opera uses the ?dns format (like Edge), not {?dns} (like Chrome).

🅾️ Configure Opera Step-by-Step

1 Open Opera Settings

Click the Opera menu (red "O" icon in the top-left corner) → select Settings.

Alternatively, type opera://settings/ in the address bar and press Enter.

💡 Tip The Opera menu is the red "O" in the top-left corner of the browser window.

2 Navigate to System

In the left sidebar, click System.

                Red "O" menu →
                Settings →
                System →
                Use DNS-over-HTTPS
            

⚠️ Common Mistake

Wrong: Going to Privacy & Security (this is for Chrome-like settings).

Correct: Go to System in the left sidebar!

3 Enable DNS-over-HTTPS

Toggle the switch to ON for "Use DNS-over-HTTPS instead of the system's DNS settings".

💡 Important This enables DoH in Opera. You can then select or enter a custom provider.

4 Select Custom Provider

In the "DNS-over-HTTPS provider" section, select the option for a custom provider.

This will show a text field where you can enter your custom endpoint.

5 Enter the Custom DoH Endpoint

Enter the following URL (replace token_testclient123 with your token):

https://dns1.oss.co.za/testclient123?dns

⚠️ Important: Opera uses ?dns (not {?dns})

Wrong: https://dns1.oss.co.za/testclient123{?dns} ← Chrome format

Wrong: https://dns1.oss.co.za/testclient123/dns-query ← Firefox format

Correct: https://dns1.oss.co.za/testclient123?dns ← Opera format

✅ Opera Format

The token is in the URL path: /token_testclient123
Opera uses the ?dns query parameter
No {?dns} or /dns-query needed
Same format as Microsoft Edge

6 Save and Verify

The setting saves automatically. Opera will validate the endpoint.

✅ Success Indicator Blocked domains like adult.filterdns.net should show DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

🗺️ Quick Navigation Reference

Opera's DNS settings are NOT under Privacy & Security!

They are under System in the left sidebar.

            Red "O" menu →
            Settings →
            System →
            Use DNS-over-HTTPS instead of the system's DNS settings
        

Or simply type: opera://settings/system in the address bar.

🧪 Test Your Configuration

Use these test sites to verify your Opera configuration is working correctly.

Blocked Domains (Should NOT Load)

Test Domain	Expected Result	What You Should See
`http://zycdjz.com`	BLOCKED	DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
`http://malware.testcategory.com`	BLOCKED	DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
`http://phishing.testcategory.com`	BLOCKED	DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
`http://adult.filterdns.net`	BLOCKED	DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Clean Domains (Should Load Normally)

Test Domain	Expected Result	What You Should See
`https://example.com`	LOAD	Normal page loads
`https://google.com`	LOAD	Normal page loads

DNS Leak Test

Test Domain	Expected Result	What You Should See
`https://dnsleaktest.com`	Your DNS Server	Should show `dns1.oss.co.za` or `102.220.218.218`

🔍 Browser Endpoint Formats Comparison

Different browsers require different endpoint formats:

🅾️ Opera ?dns ✅ Working

🌐 Edge ?dns ✅ Working

🌐 Chrome {?dns} ✅ Working

🦊 Firefox /dns-query ✅ Working

🦁 Brave ?dsn ✅ Working

Browser	Endpoint Format	Example	Status
🅾️ Opera	`?dns` parameter	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns`	✅ Verified
🌐 Edge	`?dns` parameter	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns`	✅ Verified
🌐 Chrome	`{?dns}` template	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx{?dns}`	✅ Verified
🦊 Firefox	`/dns-query` suffix	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx/dns-query`	✅ Verified
🦁 Brave	`?dsn` parameter	`https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dsn`	✅ Verified

⚠️ Important

Opera and Edge use ?dns
Chrome uses {?dns}
Firefox uses /dns-query
Brave uses ?dsn
They are NOT interchangeable - use the correct format for each browser

🔧 Troubleshooting

❌ "Please verify that this is a valid provider"

Make sure you're using the correct format: https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns
Use ?dns (not {?dns} or /dns-query)
Check that your token is valid and active
Verify network connectivity to dns1.oss.co.za

❌ Can't find DNS settings

Make sure you're in System section (left sidebar)
NOT Privacy & Security
Or type opera://settings/system directly

✅ Verify It's Working

Visit http://adult.filterdns.net - should show DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
Visit https://dnsleaktest.com - should show dns1.oss.co.za

↩️ How to Roll Back

To revert to your previous DNS settings:

Step 1: Go to System

opera://settings/system

Step 2: Turn Off DNS-over-HTTPS

Toggle the "Use DNS-over-HTTPS" switch to OFF.

Step 3: Clear DNS Cache

Visit opera://net-internals/#dns and click "Clear host cache".

🎯 Summary

🅾️ Opera supports DoH under System settings
✅ Working URL: https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns
🔒 All DNS queries are encrypted via DoH (port 443) with TLS 1.3
⚡ Opera uses the ?dns format (same as Edge)
🔄 Easily toggle on/off as needed

🚀 Quick Reference:

https://dns1.oss.co.za/testclient123?dns

🌐 Browser Format Comparison:

Opera:  https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns
Edge:   https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dns
Chrome: https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx{?dns}
Firefox: https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx/dns-query
Brave:  https://dns1.oss.co.za/xxxxx?dsn