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Last Update 23 days ago

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All about DNS

Understanding DNS: a beginner's guide

Lachlan

Last Update 23 days ago

If you own or manage a website, understanding the basics of DNS is essential. DNS plays a critical role not only in making websites accessible but also in email services/security. 

What is DNS?

The Domain Name System, or DNS for short, is a system that helps convert information that's easy for computers to understand into human-friendly information that we can recall and share easily.

Take the domain of Google's homepage and the IP address of the web server that hosts the homepage, for example:
 

  • Computer-friendly: 142.251.221.78 / 2404:6800:4006:811::200e

An easy way to think of DNS is like a phone book for the internet. In the same way you might use a contact name to call someone instead of dialling their actual phone number, DNS allows us to use easy-to-remember domain names, like google.com, instead of a long, complicated IP address such as 142.250.64.78.
Common DNS terms you should know

  • Domain Name: The user-friendly name for a website (e.g. google.com)

  • IP Address: The unique number identifying a device on the internet

  • DNS Record: Information stored in the DNS system. Tpes include:

    • A Record: Maps a domain to an IP address

    • CNAME Record: Points one domain to another domain

    • MX Record: Specifies mail servers for a domain

  • Nameserver: A special server that holds DNS records for a domain

How does DNS work?

The basic process of DNS resolution happens in a few steps:

1. Before anything can happen, a domain needs to have a "DNS Zone" configured and stored on a special server called a Nameserver. The DNS zone contains the DNS records, i.e. the IP addresses of the servers that host the website/email etc. 


2. Then, when a user types a domain/URL into a web browser, it starts the DNS lookup/query process.


2. Next, the web browser contacts a DNS server/resolver. This is usually provided by your internet service provider (ISP) or a public DNS service like Google or Cloudflare.


3. The DNS query looks for the right IP addresses by asking DNS servers. The DNS server/resolver first checks for the domain name in its memory. If it doesn’t find it, it queries other DNS servers that can also ask other DNS servers, and so on, until it gets the right address.

4. The DNS resolver then sends the IP address back to your browser. With the knowledge of the correct IP address, the browser then connects to the webserver to start loading the page.

Nameservers and DNS records at WP Hosting

At WP Hosting, our hosting plans and newly registered domains are pre-configured to use our Nameservers.

You can manage your DNS zone/records from within your hosting service or update the Nameservers using the steps in the guides below:


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