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Cloudflare DNS along with Bitdefender VPN ?

PolarisX

Hello,

I already know that the VPN has its own DNS address, however I would like to clarify whether activating Cloudflare in browsers, on Windows, or on the router especially - for the cases where the VPN is not running - will cause conflicts in smooth operation and possibly DNS leaks.

Thanks.

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Alexandru_BD

Well, in short, DNS is the "phone book" and VPN is the encrypted tunnel. When you visit a website, any website, your device first needs DNS to translate that name into an IP address. A VPN then routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server, so websites usually see the VPN server’s IP address instead of your real public IP. Without a VPN, DNS usually goes to your ISP’s resolver, your router’s resolver, or a custom resolver like Cloudflare.

A DNS leak happens when your web traffic goes through the VPN but your DNS queries still go outside the tunnel, for example to your ISP. In that case, your ISP or local network may still see which domains you are resolving even though the site traffic itself is tunneled. So Cloudflare DNS can protect or improve the DNS lookup path, especially if encrypted DNS is used. But it does not, by itself, hide all your traffic from your ISP or change the IP address websites see. A VPN does that broader traffic tunneling.

Now, there are a few scenarios I can think of here, and perhaps the most common one is where the VPN controls DNS while connected. Maybe this is the cleanest privacy model. Your DNS queries go through the VPN tunnel and are resolved by the resolver Bitdefender’s VPN infrastructure uses. A DNS leak test may show Bitdefender, Google, Cloudflare, or another provider depending on backend configuration. Seeing Google or Cloudflare in a DNS test is not automatically a leak; the key question is whether the DNS resolver sees your VPN server IP rather than your real ISP IP.

Another scenario is where Your router is set to Cloudflare DNS, but the VPN overrides it. In this case, when the VPN connects, it may push its own DNS settings. In that scenario, your manual setting might not be used until the VPN disconnects. This is normal for many VPNs because they try to prevent DNS leaks.

Moving on to the next scenario, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Android Private DNS may send DNS over HTTPS/TLS directly to Cloudflare. If routed through the VPN tunnel, Cloudflare sees the VPN exit IP, not your home IP. That is usually not a DNS leak. But it does mean DNS resolution is being handled by Cloudflare rather than the VPN provider’s chosen DNS.

I think the problematic case would be if Cloudflare DNS bypasses the VPN tunnel. IF DNS packets go directly from your network to Cloudflare outside the VPN while the rest of the traffic uses Bitdefender VPN, then Cloudflare and possibly the local network path can see your real source IP for DNS. A DNS leak test would typically show resolvers associated with your real ISP/network path or a resolver geographically tied to your actual connection rather than the VPN exit.

I think the key takeaway here is that the privacy outcome depends on route, not just resolver name. If you ask me, for maximum simplicity and fewer leaks I would recommend to let Bitdefender VPN manage DNS while connected. Use Cloudflare DNS mainly when the VPN is off, or use browser/OS encrypted DNS only if you understand that Cloudflare becomes your DNS provider while the VPN still handles the tunnel.

Regards

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PolarisX

I have been assured that if I enable Cloudflare DNS in my router settings, the Bitdefender VPN on my devices will simply bypass the router’s settings, so there will be no risk of my personal data being exposed.

The other devices on the network, such as Smart TV, will use Cloudflare DNS as configured in the router settings.

I would just like to confirm this information.

Thank you.

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

As long as the VPN is not enabled, there can't be a conflict. One thing to keep in mind here is that, being Cloudflare, your DNS will be visible whenever the VPN is not turned on. But that's absolutely fine, Cloudflare has a very good reputation, they're among the best in the world.

PolarisX

Thank you for your reply.

From what you’ve said, I gather that enabling Cloudflare in browser settings or Windows network settings would cause conflicts with the VPN’s operation.

So I disabled the DNS settings in my browsers by following the instructions in the Bitdefender support article:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/3347/

leaving the VPN using its own settings.

However, I understand that enabling Cloudflare DNS in my router settings would not cause any conflicts or lead to the loss of personal data while the VPN is running on my computer, since the VPN will effectively protect my computer, regardless of the router's DNS settings and, furthermore, Cloudflare DNS is useful for other devices on the network that do not have a VPN.

In my effort to fully understand the relationship between DNS and VPN, I would welcome your input on anything you might disagree with or find inaccurate in the above.

Alexandru_BD

Regards

PolarisX

Thank you so much for such a detailed and clear explanation of this issue.
I truly appreciate you taking the time to do this.

After studying your views in depth, I came to the conclusion that the comprehensive protection provided by Bitdefender VPN Premium, cannot be replaced or supplemented by anything else.

I appreciate the protection that Cloudflare DNS can offer, but I understand that it is not a VPN and is intended mainly for use when there is no higher-level protection, such as a good VPN.

For this reason, and simply because you referred to protection scenarios, I decided to completely delete all the Cloudflare settings I have made on my system for as long as I have an active subscription to Bitdefender VPN.

Many times I was confused about the use of the VPN, because of various voices that downplay the continuous use of the VPN, as well as the pop-up message from the program itself that encourages stopping the use of the VPN due to its long hours of operation.

Now, I don’t need to hear anything else about this issue. It is clear that continuous use of the VPN, even if it sometimes faces issues with loading websites or is somewhat slower, cannot be compared to the protection it offers.

I know exactly what that means, because I’ve been suffering from these kinds of attacks for a long time. Before using a VPN, all my data was exposed to malicious people who used it to harm me by sharing my data with other third parties.
You have to experience this yourself to understand how serious and emotionally exhausting it can be.

And ultimately, I already pay a subscription for more comprehensive protection, and that’s reason enough for me to make full use of the services in the broadest sense, rather than resorting to free solutions.

Thank you once again.