What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It's a hierarchical decentralized naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the internet or a private network. In essence, DNS serves as the "phone book" of the internet, translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses, which are used by computers to communicate with each other.
Domain Names: Each website or online service is associated with a unique domain name (e.g., www.example.com). These domain names are easier for humans to remember and use than IP addresses.
IP Addresses: Every device connected to the internet, such as servers, computers, and other networked devices, has a unique numerical address called an IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.1). IP addresses are used to identify and locate devices on a network.
DNS Servers: DNS operates using a distributed system of servers worldwide. These servers store databases containing mappings of domain names to IP addresses.
DNS Resolution: When you type a domain name into a web browser or click on a link, your device needs to know the corresponding IP address to establish a connection. It sends a DNS query to a DNS resolver, typically provided by your internet service provider (ISP) or a third-party DNS service.
DNS Lookup: The DNS resolver checks its local cache to see if it has a record of the requested domain name and corresponding IP address. If not, it forwards the query to a series of DNS servers, starting with the root servers and moving down through the hierarchy of authoritative DNS servers until it finds the correct IP address.
Response: Once the DNS resolver receives a response containing the IP address for the requested domain name, it caches this information locally for future use and returns the IP address to the requesting device.
Connection: With the IP address obtained from DNS resolution, your device can now establish a connection to the desired website or online service.
DNS is essential for the functioning of the internet because it enables users to access websites and services using easy-to-remember domain names rather than having to remember and enter complex numerical IP addresses. It plays a crucial role in facilitating communication and data exchange across the global network.
Sub Domains
Subdomains are a way to organize and navigate within a larger domain hierarchy. They allow website owners to create separate sections or branches within their main domain, each with its own unique content, functionality, or purpose.
Subdomains are created by adding a prefix to the main domain, forming a new domain name. For example, if "example.com" is the main domain, "blog.example.com" and "shop.example.com" could be subdomains. Subdomains are particularly important in lead generation.
Structure: A subdomain is formed by adding a prefix to the main domain, separated by a dot. The structure typically looks like this: "subdomain.maindomain.com". The subdomain can consist of any alphanumeric characters and hyphens.
Independence: Subdomains function as separate entities within the main domain. They can have their own content, files, databases, and configurations. This independence allows website owners to create distinct sections of their website with different functionalities or purposes.
Organization: Subdomains are often used to organize content or services within a website. For example, a company might use subdomains for its blog ("blog.example.com"), e-commerce store ("shop.example.com"), support portal ("support.example.com"), or community forum ("forum.example.com").
Content Delivery: Subdomains can be used to distribute content across multiple servers or content delivery networks (CDNs). For example, a website might use subdomains to serve static content (such as images, videos, or scripts) from different servers to improve load times and performance.
Multisite Installations: Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress support multisite installations, where multiple websites can be managed from a single installation. Each website within a multisite network typically uses a subdomain (or subdirectory) to differentiate itself from others.
Tracking and Analytics: Subdomains can be useful for tracking and analytics purposes. Website owners can set up separate tracking codes or analytics profiles for each subdomain to monitor traffic, engagement, and performance independently.
Branding: Subdomains can also be used for branding purposes. For example, a company might use subdomains to create branded URLs for different products, services, or regions.
Overall, subdomains provide flexibility and organization for website owners, allowing them to create distinct sections or branches within their main domain to better serve their audience and meet their business needs.
DNS Hosting
DNS hosting platforms, also known as DNS providers or DNS hosting services, are third-party services that offer infrastructure and tools to manage Domain Name System (DNS) records for domain names. Common platforms include GoDaddy, DNSimple, Cloudflare and AWS.
These platforms provide the necessary infrastructure to host DNS records on their servers, ensuring that domain names are resolved correctly to their associated IP addresses and enabling other DNS-related functionalities. Here's a description of DNS hosting platforms and their features:
DNS Management Interface: DNS hosting platforms typically offer a web-based interface or control panel where users can manage their DNS records. This interface allows users to add, edit, and delete DNS records, as well as configure advanced settings for their domains.
Domain Registration Integration: Many DNS hosting platforms also offer domain registration services or integrate with domain registrars, allowing users to manage both DNS and domain registration from a single dashboard.
DNS Record Types: These platforms support various types of DNS records, including A records, AAAA records, CNAME records, MX records, TXT records, SRV records, and more. Users can configure these records to control how their domain names are resolved and to specify additional settings such as mail server configuration, SPF records, DKIM records, etc.
Global DNS Infrastructure: DNS hosting platforms operate a global network of DNS servers distributed across multiple geographic locations. This distributed infrastructure helps ensure low latency and high availability for DNS resolution worldwide.
DNS Security Features: DNS hosting platforms often include security features to protect against DNS-based attacks, such as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, DNS spoofing, cache poisoning, and DNS hijacking. These features may include DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions), DNS firewalling, and threat intelligence.
Overall, DNS hosting platforms play a crucial role in managing DNS infrastructure for domain names, providing users with the tools and infrastructure needed to ensure reliable and secure DNS resolution for their online properties.
DNS Record Types
In domain hosting, various types of DNS records are used to manage and control how domain names are resolved to IP addresses and to specify other settings related to email delivery, security, and more.
For Pingtree purposes, you will generally only need to reference the A Record and (possibly) CNAME Record
Here are some common DNS records and their purposes:
A Record (Address Record):
Purpose: Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address.
Example: example.com -> 192.0.2.1
AAAA Record (IPv6 Address Record):
Purpose: Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.
Example: example.com -> 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record):
Purpose: Creates an alias for a domain name, allowing multiple domain names to resolve to the same IP address.
Example: www.example.com -> example.com
MX Record (Mail Exchange Record):
Purpose: Specifies the mail server responsible for receiving email on behalf of the domain.
Example: example.com -> mail.example.com
TXT Record (Text Record):
Purpose: Stores text-based information about the domain. Often used for SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), and other authentication and verification purposes.
Example: example.com -> "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all"
PTR Record (Pointer Record):
Purpose: Used in reverse DNS lookups to map an IP address to a domain name.
Example: 192.0.2.1 -> example.com
SRV Record (Service Record):
Purpose: Specifies the location of servers for specific services, such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) or XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol).
Example: _sip._udp.example.com -> 10 0 5060 sipserver.example.com
NS Record (Name Server Record):
Purpose: Specifies the authoritative name servers for the domain.
Example: example.com -> ns1.example.com
SOA Record (Start of Authority Record):
Purpose: Contains administrative information about the domain, such as the primary name server, contact email address, serial number, and refresh intervals.
Example: example.com -> ns1.example.com hostmaster.example.com 2022040201 3600 7200 1209600 86400
These are some of the most commonly used DNS records in domain hosting. Each record type serves a specific purpose in managing domain name resolution, email delivery, authentication, and other aspects of domain administration.