vmplace.eu — Magic DNS: resolve every IP, with a valid SSL certificate

DNS

vmplace.eu provides a magic DNS, available publicly, that resolves every IPv4 address in the vmplace.eu zone. For example:

10-0-0-1.vmplace.eu       resolves to    10.0.0.1
11-1-0-1.vmplace.eu       resolves to    11.1.0.1
192-168-1-1.vmplace.eu    resolves to    192.168.1.1
8-8-8-8.vmplace.eu        resolves to    8.8.8.8

...and so on for any valid IPv4 address.

SSL

You can also obtain a valid wildcard certificate with its private key for *.vmplace.eu. Install the certificate and key on your server, point your web server configuration to it, and restart the service. After that, browsing your server via a-b-c-d.vmplace.eu over HTTPS (e.g. https://8-8-8-8.vmplace.eu) gives you a fully valid, trusted SSL connection (green lock) in a matter of seconds.

What is this for?

You can use this service for testing purposes, especially for:

Reaching any host (including non-public hosts) via a valid FQDN with a trusted certificate on your local network without configuring DNS — useful when developing apps for iPhones, iPads, etc.
Providing a secure connection to a test application deployed on a private IP address, e.g. behind NAT.
Configuring a test installation of Microsoft Exchange or a Skype for Business / Microsoft 365 hybrid setup, where a publicly valid certificate is required.
Teaching courses on development, Public Key Infrastructure, and similar topics.

How it works

This project is a modern remake of an older service that stopped working. It is built on:

PowerDNS authoritative server + recursor with a custom "pipe" backend, running on Ubuntu, that resolves every a-b-c-d.vmplace.eu name on the fly.
Two independent, redundant servers — ns1.vmplace.eu (primary) and ns2.vmplace.eu (secondary) — both compute every answer on demand, so there is nothing to replicate between them.
Queries that do not match the magic IP pattern (for example www.vmplace.eu) are transparently forwarded as A-record lookups to the domain's externally managed name servers: ns1.ogicom.pl, ns2.ogicom.pl, ns3.ogicom.pl.
Infrastructure provisioning and software deployment are fully automated with GitHub Actions.

SSL certificate / Source Code

The source code is not published in a public repository. To get access to it, or to request the *.vmplace.eu wildcard certificate and private key described above, please submit the forms below:

Acceptable use & legal notice

This service, including the magic DNS resolver and the *.vmplace.eu wildcard certificate, is provided free of charge strictly for lawful purposes, such as software development, testing, training, and similar legitimate technical use cases described above.

By using this service (including requesting the certificate), you agree that you:

Will use it only for lawful purposes and only against systems and IP addresses you own or are authorized to test;
Will not use it for phishing, malware distribution, impersonation, fraud, or to circumvent security controls of any third party;
Will not use it in any way that violates applicable local, national, or international law or regulation;
Understand the service is provided "as is", free of charge, without any warranty of any kind, express or implied, and without any guarantee of availability, accuracy, or fitness for a particular purpose;
Accept that the operator disclaims all liability for any direct or indirect damages arising from the use or inability to use this service, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law;
Accept that access and/or issued certificates may be revoked or refused at any time, without notice, in case of suspected misuse or illegal activity.

If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use this service.