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DNS in one sentence
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed, hierarchical database that answers one question billions of times a day: “for this name, what record do you have?” Most of the time the record is an IP address, but DNS also tells the world where to deliver your email, which services are allowed to send mail for you, who may issue SSL certificates for your domain, and much more.
Why DNS exists
Every device on the internet is reached by an IP address such as 196.22.132.10 (IPv4) or 2001:db8::1 (IPv6). Nobody wants to type those, and they change when you move host. DNS separates the name (which stays the same) from the address (which can change), so you can move your website to a new server without changing the address your customers type.
What happens when you visit a website
- Your device asks a recursive resolver. This is usually run by your ISP, your company, or a public service like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). If it already has a fresh answer in its cache, it replies immediately.
- The resolver asks a root server which servers handle the top-level domain — for example
.zaor.com. - The TLD servers refer it onward. For
example.co.za, the resolver follows the delegation down to the.co.zaregistry servers, which reply with the domain's nameservers (its NS records). - The authoritative nameserver answers. This is the server that actually holds your domain's zone — often your hosting provider's or your DNS provider's nameservers. It returns the A record (or whatever was asked for).
- The resolver caches the answer for as long as the record's TTL (time to live) allows, then hands it to your browser, which connects to the IP address.
All of this normally takes a few milliseconds, and caching means most lookups never leave the resolver at all.
The key parts of DNS
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Zone | The set of DNS records for a domain, held on its authoritative nameservers. |
| Authoritative nameserver | A server that holds the original copy of a zone and answers for it. |
| Recursive resolver | The server your device asks. It finds answers on your behalf and caches them. |
| Registrar | The company you registered the domain through. It tells the registry which nameservers your domain uses. |
| TTL | How many seconds a resolver may cache a record before it must ask again. |
The most common record types
- A and AAAA — point a name to an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
- CNAME — makes one name an alias of another name.
- MX — tells other mail servers where to deliver email for your domain.
- TXT — free text, used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification.
- NS — lists the authoritative nameservers for the domain.
- SOA — administrative details about the zone, including negative-caching time.
- CAA — limits which certificate authorities may issue SSL certificates for the domain.
Why DNS problems are so disruptive
Because almost everything starts with a DNS lookup, one wrong record can take a website offline, stop email arriving, or send mail to spam. Common causes are a typo in an IP address, nameservers changed at the registrar but records not recreated at the new provider, a missing MX record after a migration, or an SPF record that breaks the 10-lookup limit. The free tools on this site exist to make those mistakes visible quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Is DNS the same as my domain name?
No. Your domain name is the name you registered. DNS is the system that publishes records for that name so the rest of the internet knows where your website and email live.
Who controls my domain's DNS?
Whoever runs the nameservers listed for your domain at the registry. That might be your web host, your registrar, or a separate DNS provider such as Cloudflare. Check your NS records to see which.
Does DNS affect website speed?
A little. Each new name needs a lookup, but resolvers cache answers, so the cost is usually a few milliseconds and only on the first visit within the TTL.
Looking for a home for your domain? You can register a domain with HostFaddy, an accredited .co.za registrar, and pair it with web hosting backed by South African support.