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by pfg 4508 days ago
The fact that some entries aren't visible in the OS cache has nothing to do with Firefox having its own DNS cache though, it would happen with any browser. And clearing the browser cache has nothing to do with the OS cache either.

So I'm not sure why we're even talking about the DNS cache Firefox uses internally.

blueskin_'s response implies that because Firefox uses its own DNS cache and clearing the browser cache will clear those entries too that either a) opening a page in firefox will not put the corresponding hostname in the OS DNS cache or that b) clearing the browser cache will flush the entries from the OS cache as well. (His reply wouldn't make sense in any other way in this context.)

I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong, but the comment as it was implied you're safe if you use Firefox and clear your DNS cache, when in fact you're not.

1 comments

>The fact that some entries aren't visible in the OS cache has nothing to do with Firefox having its own DNS cache though, it would happen with any browser.

Not true. Because Firefox has its own cache, news.ycombinator.com is not in my OS cache even though I'm actively opening and closing connections to it.

>blueskin_'s response implies that because Firefox uses its own DNS cache and clearing the browser cache will clear those entries too that either a) opening a page in firefox will not put the corresponding hostname in the OS DNS cache or that b) clearing the browser cache will flush the entries from the OS cache as well. (His reply wouldn't make sense in any other way in this context.)

Option a is the correct interpretation, more or less. Opening a page that is still in the Firefox DNS cache, which lasts hours to days, will not put the hostname into the OS cache.

>I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong, but the comment as it was implied you're safe if you use Firefox and clear your DNS cache, when in fact you're not.

I don't think it implied that, but it's okay if we disagree on this as long as the factual points are clarified.

Wait, are you saying Firefox' DNS cache doesn't honor TTLs? If it's behaving the same way the OS cache does (i.e. drop entries after TTL is reached), basically any entry in Firefox would have to be in the OS cache as well.

Of course if Firefox actually ignores TTLs, forget everything I said.

I'll now set my hair on fire while pondering why they would do that.

It does not honor TTL. The only reason I know about it is the pain it caused me in the past moving a site from one server to another. Everything else on my system went to the new server except firefox.