What Is DNS? A Beginner’s Guide to Domain Name Records

Every time you type a website address, something quietly translates that name into the numeric address of a server. That something is DNS — the Domain Name System. Think of it as the internet's phonebook: you remember names, DNS remembers the numbers.

How a domain name resolves

When someone visits your site, their browser asks a DNS resolver "what's the IP address for example.com?". The resolver checks the domain's nameservers, reads the relevant record, and hands back the answer. The browser then connects to that server and loads your site — all in a fraction of a second.

The DNS records you'll actually use

• A record — points a domain to an IPv4 address (the most common record).
• AAAA record — the same idea for a newer IPv6 address.
• CNAME — an alias that points one name to another (e.g. www → your root domain).
• MX record — tells the world which server handles your email.
• TXT record — stores text used for domain verification and email security (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• NS record — lists the authoritative nameservers for the domain.
• SOA record — administrative info about the DNS zone itself.

Pointing your domain to your hosting

When you buy hosting, you'll get either nameservers or an IP address. You point your domain in one of two ways:

• Change nameservers at your registrar to your host's nameservers — the simplest approach, letting your host manage all records.
• Edit the A record to your server's IP if you want to keep DNS at your registrar or a service like Cloudflare.

One catch: DNS changes aren't instant. They can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to propagate across the internet as caches expire.

Check your DNS in seconds

Not sure what your domain is currently pointing to? Use our free DNS Lookup tool to see every record for any domain instantly, or the WHOIS tool to check its registration.