How I configure DNS on Ubuntu Linux distros via the command line - it's easier than you think

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Every once in a while, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to change DNS providers, and you don't have access to a desktop GUI. You might be dealing with a PC remotely, an at-home server, or maybe you just want to up your Linux skills.

Either way, you might want to know how to configure DNS with the Netplan tool, which is the command-line system for configuring networking on Ubuntu-based desktops.

Before we get into it, know that configuring DNS the GUI way is very easy, so if you have access to a desktop environment, you could do this without ever touching the command line. If, on the other hand, you've used SSH to remote into a machine (or the machine simply has no GUI), be glad the command line method is almost as easy (as long as you have at least a modicum of experience with the command line).

Also: 7 Linux commands I can't live without after 20 years in the terminal

Fortunately, it's not as hard as you think. All you need to do is edit a single file. Do note that this does work, whether you have your system set up for a DHCP IP address or a static IP address.