glossary.categories.networkingAcronym

DNS

Domain Name System

Domain Name System - translates human-readable domain names to IP addresses.

Definition

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet's phone book, translating human-readable domain names (like example.com) into IP addresses (like 93.184.216.34) that computers use to communicate. DNS is a hierarchical, distributed database system crucial to internet functionality. DNS issues can cause websites to become unreachable even when the servers themselves are running perfectly, making DNS monitoring essential for complete availability.

Examples

DNS Record Types

Common DNS record types and their purposes.

| Type  | Purpose                        | Example                    |
|-------|--------------------------------|----------------------------|
| A     | Maps domain to IPv4            | example.com -> 93.184.216.34 |
| AAAA  | Maps domain to IPv6            | example.com -> 2001:db8::1 |
| CNAME | Alias to another domain        | www -> example.com         |
| MX    | Mail server for domain         | mail.example.com (10)      |
| TXT   | Text records (SPF, DKIM, etc.) | v=spf1 include:...         |
| NS    | Nameservers for domain         | ns1.provider.com           |

DNS Lookup Process

How a DNS query is resolved.

1. User types example.com in browser
2. Browser checks local cache
3. Query sent to recursive resolver (ISP or 8.8.8.8)
4. Resolver queries root nameservers (.)
5. Root refers to .com TLD nameservers
6. TLD refers to example.com's authoritative NS
7. Authoritative NS returns IP address
8. Browser connects to 93.184.216.34

Use Cases

Website and service accessibility

Email delivery (MX records)

Load balancing across servers

Failover and disaster recovery

Best Practices

Use multiple DNS providers for redundancy
Set appropriate TTL values
Monitor DNS resolution from multiple locations
Enable DNSSEC for security
Document all DNS records and their purposes

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DNS