What is the Domain Name System (DNS) and how does it work?

To make browsing the web more intuitive, the DNS is there to help. Every website has an IP address which serves as its unique identity. It is actually possible to use these IP addresses instead of domain names to navigate to any site. We are going to shed some light on the usefulness of the DNS (Domain Name System) and, most importantly, why it can be useful to you.

How does DNS work?

Let's start with a tool that will probably be familiar to you: the dig tool (a lookup tool), a simple process that works even when there are over a billion websites available online. When you load a page, every website has a unique IP address that you can use to navigate between them. These IP addresses correspond to the servers that host each website. And when you register a new domain, it is as if you are telling internet users: "Hey, this URL leads to this particular IP address!" Rest assured that such a complex string of numbers is difficult to remember.

Your browser, however, cannot automatically recognise a domain name. That is why it must consult the DNS in order to identify the addresses. To give a simple example, think of it as a storage system in which IP addresses and domains are linked. You can imagine that at this point, your computer is receiving too much information at once. To lighten the load, we talk about a decentralised system where many companies manage their own servers. This is what Google does by running a public DNS server.

To understand a little more about how the system works, the principle is straightforward: when you register a domain name, it "propagates" the information across all DNS servers. This can take up to 48 hours (hence the warning often repeated by registrars).

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) also runs a DNS server, and your router may be configured to use it by default. Ideally, most DNS servers should operate in the same way, but there are advantages to using a public server — for example if your ISP blocks certain websites.

Important DNS terms to know

As you will have gathered, if you wish to register a domain, migrate one, or point it to a website, you will need to deal with DNS. However, there are a large number of terms that may seem unfamiliar. Let's shed a little light on them:

1. 'A' records

When you link a domain name to a specific IP address, you create what are known as A records, which sit at the heart of DNS. Without them, users would not be able to find your website through its domain.

2. 'CNAME' records

This is where things start to get a little more complex: CNAME records do not point users to a specific IP address but rather to other domain names.

For example, you might have a CNAME record directing Remlaxx.me to www.Relaxx.me. This means that users will be able to access the website regardless of which address they type into their navigation bar.

Technically, you can also configure the www and non-www variants of a URL to point to the same website using a name record. However, you should always remember to use a default domain name to avoid search engines penalising you for duplicate content.

3. 'MX' records

MX records deal specifically with email. In most cases, when you sign up for a hosting plan, you also gain access to free associated email accounts. In that case, your host will probably handle setting up the MX records for you. They simply indicate which email servers will receive incoming messages and where to route them.

If your hosting provider or registrar does not offer email hosting, you can still configure MX records pointing to different specific servers.

4. 'Name servers'

Name servers are computers running DNS software. When you register a domain, you can assign name servers to it, which in most cases are those of the registrar you used.

In other words, they link your domain information to the service you used to register it, whether that is a hosting company or a registrar. When you migrate a domain, you must also change its name servers and wait for the changes to propagate once more.

5. 'Zone files'

Your domain's zone files contain all its DNS-related settings and are stored on your name servers. For example, every record associated with your domain goes into your zone file in plain text format, which simplifies the interpretation and migration process.

When you make changes to your DNS settings, you update your zone file. Most changes will generally take place via a graphical interface. However, most registrars and web hosting providers also allow you to export copies of your zone file for backup purposes.

6. Time to Live (TTL)

TTL is a setting that tells your name servers how frequently they should refresh your DNS records. For example, if you change your A record and your TTL is set to two hours, it will not start propagating the update until that time has elapsed. Most providers allow you to set TTL values as low as one or five minutes.

In practice, you do not need a low TTL for A and CNAME records — at least in most cases — because you will not need to change them often. However, there are many situations where setting a low TTL can prove useful, which makes this flexibility very handy for experienced users.

Conclusion

In short, DNS is a fundamental part of what allows us to browse the web intuitively. It is important that you understand how it works if you need to manage a WordPress website. For example, registering domains, pointing them to a site, and migrating them all involve using DNS, and these are straightforward tasks for any website administrator.

Once you understand how DNS works, you just need to familiarise yourself with a few additional terms, and everything will fall into place!

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

UGC, the future of marketing: how user-generated content can revolutionise your marketing strategy

by Yumea, 7 March 2023

UGC (User Generated Content) is changing the game in the world of marketing. With the rise of social media and content-sharing platforms, the… READ MORE

Category: News , Getting visible online , Social media

Comments: 0

How to use Instagram to reach your audience and drive traffic to your website?

by Yumea, 1 February 2023

Social media has become an indispensable tool for businesses looking to reach their target audience and drive traffic to their website. With more than 3.8 billion active users… READ MORE

Category: Getting visible online , Instagram , Social media

Comments: 0

7 artificial intelligence (AI) tools to know in 2023

by Yumea, 12 January 2023

In 2023, there are many websites that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help users write content and generate images. If you are looking for tools to help you write… READ MORE

Category: News

Comments: 0