What is DNS? Why does it matter for your website?

Have you ever wondered how typing any website’s name into your browser leads you to the website instantly? Or when your domain is ready, do you know why it may take some time before your website is visible to everyone? To know this, you need to understand the DNS—a behind-the-scenes process that makes sure users can find your website on the internet.

In this blog, we will see what DNS is, how it works, and why it’s essential for getting your website online and accessible to your audience. If your website isn’t appearing as expected, chances are, DNS is the reason behind it.
The full form of DNS is Domain Name System. It is the backbone of how the internet connects users to websites. The DNS acts as a directory that translates human-readable domain names (like www.yoursite.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1), which are used by servers to identify each other on the internet.

When you type a website address into your browser, DNS translates that human-readable domain into the server’s IP address so the browser knows where to go. Without DNS, you’d have to remember a string of numbers for every site you visit, which would make browsing pretty tough!

How does DNS work?

• You type in a website URL: For example, www.yoursite.com, into your browser.

• Your browser sends a request to a DNS resolver (a server that handles DNS requests).

• The DNS resolver first checks its local cache to see if it has recently visited www.yoursite.com. If it has, the DNS resolver will use the cached IP address and send you straight to the server.

• If it’s not cached, the DNS resolver queries other DNS servers to find out the IP address for www.yoursite.com.

• Once the IP address is found, your browser contacts the server where the website files are stored, retrieves them, and displays the site to you.

This process takes mere seconds, but it's happening behind the scenes constantly. DNS is the silent worker that makes sure the internet operates smoothly, allowing users to find websites easily.

DNS and its role in connecting domain names to hosting servers

When you register a domain name (like www.yoursite.com), you need to tell the DNS system where your website’s files are located. This is done through DNS records. These records point your domain name to the IP address of your hosting server.

Here are the DNS records you will need:

A Record (Address Record): This points your domain name to the IP address of your server. It's the most crucial DNS record for ensuring your domain points to the correct server. Without this, your website won't be accessible because there’s no way to direct traffic to the right place.

• MX Records (Mail Exchange Records): If you're using email through your domain, MX records tell where emails should be routed. This ensures that your domain’s email service is set up correctly.

• CNAME Records (Canonical Name Records): These records are used when you want to alias one domain to another. For example, if you want www.yoursite.com to point to yourwebsite.com, a CNAME record is what makes that happen.

• TXT Records: These records are used for verification and security purposes, such as domain ownership verification for Google Search Console or SPF (Sender Policy Framework) for email authentication.

If any of these records are misconfigured or missing, users will be unable to find your website, regardless of whether it’s fully built or not.

Why is DNS important for website accessibility?

Without DNS, the internet would be a much harder place to navigate. You wouldn’t be able to type in www.yoursite.com and instantly land on your website. Instead, you would need to remember the IP address of each site, which is impractical.

DNS ensures that when someone types your domain name, it gets routed to the correct IP address where your site’s files are stored. This connection between the domain name and server is essential for making your website accessible to visitors.

What happens if DNS is misconfigured?

The accessibility issues begin when there is a misconfiguration of the DNS. This leads to the following:

• Incorrect IP mapping: If your domain’s A record points to the wrong IP, users won’t be able to find your website.

• Incorrect email setup: If your MX records are wrong, your emails won’t reach their destination.

• Domain not resolving: If you’re launching your site and DNS records aren’t properly configured, your website may show a "Server Not Found" error.

What is the connection between DNS and TTL?

TTL is a value in your DNS records that tells DNS servers how long they should cache a particular record before checking for updates. This setting is crucial when you make changes to your domain, as it affects how quickly those changes are reflected across the internet.

• Low TTL: A lower TTL means DNS records are refreshed more frequently, allowing changes to propagate faster. For example, when moving your website to a new server, a low TTL allows you to see changes faster, often within minutes. However, the downside is that it may increase server load as DNS servers check for updates more often.

• High TTL: A higher TTL means DNS records are cached for longer periods, which reduces the number of DNS queries and improves performance, but delays updates. This is good for stability when your domain setup is finalized, but not ideal when you're making changes.

How does TTL affect the website launch?

If you're launching a new website or migrating, lowering TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) can speed up the DNS update process. Once your site is live and stable, you can raise the TTL to something higher (e.g., 86400 seconds, or 24 hours) to ensure stability and efficiency.

With this blog, you would have understood that DNS is much more than just an internet feature. It is the key to making your website visible and accessible to users across the globe. Before launching your site, double-check your DNS records and TTL settings to ensure everything is configured properly. This ensures your website is visible to users and runs smoothly, providing the best user experience possible.