The Ultimate Guide to DNS: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Manage It
Much like a phone book, a domain name system (DNS) bridges the communication gap between humans and computers by matching domain names to their respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn more about what DNS is, how DNS works, the definition of domain nameservers, and how to change them. Each domain name has a DNS zone that links it to DNS servers, so we’ll cover how you can edit your DNS zone as well. Finally, we’ll go over what DNS propagation and DNSSEC are.
Video Tutorial on What Is DNS?
If you want to know an in-depth explanation of what is a DNS and how it works, watch the video below.
What Is DNS?
A DNS or a domain name system is used to translate domain names into IP addresses, allowing browsers to access other internet resources.
How Does DNS Work?
When users enter a domain name into the address bar of their web browser, they will be taken to the site they want to visit. However, this seemingly instant task consists of several steps known as the DNS lookup or DNS resolution process. Here’s an example of what the DNS resolution process is typically like to illustrate better how DNS works. You want to be taken to Hostinger’s website, so you enter the domain name hostinger.com into the web browser’s address bar. What you’re doing here is submitting a DNS request. Next, your computer will check whether it already stored a DNS entry of the domain you submitted locally. A DNS record is an IP address that matches the fully-qualified domain name. First, your computer will search its hosts file and cache. The hosts file is a plain text file that maps hostnames to IP addresses in an operating system, while the cache is temporary data stored by a hardware or software component. Matching IP addresses for the DNS service are commonly found in your browser cache or internet service provider (ISP) cache. However, if no matching IP address is found in your hosts file and cache, other additional steps will be added to the DNS resolution process.
What DNS Servers Are Involved in Loading a Website?
- DNS Resolver
- Root Nameserver
- TLD Nameserver
- Authoritative Nameserver
What Are Domain Nameservers?
A domain nameserver’s job is to store all types of DNS records of a domain name. Whenever someone sends a query about your domain name, the nameserver will send back the necessary information of your domain name, allowing them to find your website.
How to Change the Nameservers?
You can only change nameservers where the domain is registered. For example, if you purchased a domain name at Hostinger, you can change the nameservers on hPanel. If you bought it from Google Domains, you can only change them on Google Domains.
What Is a DNS Zone and How to Make Changes for the Domain?
A DNS zone is a portion of the DNS namespace divided up for administrative purposes by a person or an organization. Each DNS zone contains at least one DNS entry. If you use the web hosting’s nameservers for your domain name, you’ll be able to make changes to the DNS zone using the tools provided. There are different reasons to modify a DNS zone, one of which is to point the domain to another address.
A Record
An A record or a DNS host record points a hostname or domain to an IPv4 address. For example, it converts hostinger.com to 104.19.184.120. An AAAA record works similarly, but it transforms a hostname to an IPv6 address instead.
CNAME Records
A CNAME record or a “canonical name” record establishes a particular domain as an alias for another domain.
MX Records
An MX record, which stands for mail exchanger, identifies a mail server used to process incoming emails received by a particular domain name.
TXT Records
A TXT record allows domain administrators to include readable notes for both humans and machines.
SRV Records
An SRV record connects a hostname to a particular service.
DNS Propagation
Each time you modify or add a new DNS record, there will be a period where the DNS record is being updated across the world’s servers. This is called the DNS propagation period.
DNSSEC
DNSSEC is a security technology for the domain name system.
Conclusion
DNS matches IP addresses to human-readable domain names, making it easier for people to visit websites. There are four types of DNS servers involved in the resolution process – DNS resolver, root nameserver, TLD nameserver, and authoritative nameserver. A domain’s nameservers store all the DNS records of a domain name, while a DNS zone is a portion of the DNS namespace divided up for administrative purposes. On hPanel, you can change your nameservers and add or modify records in your DNS zone. To understand DNS records, there are five primary types you should be familiar with – A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and SRV. Whenever you make changes to any DNS record, it will take some time for the domain name system to process the changes – this is called DNS propagation.
What Is DNS FAQ
- What Is DNS And Why Is It Used?
- What Is DNS in Simple Terms?
- How Do I Check My DNS?
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