{"id":1977,"date":"2021-06-10T14:45:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T11:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2024-02-06T11:08:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T09:08:56","slug":"dns-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/dns-management\/","title":{"rendered":"DNS Management"},"content":{"rendered":"

Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet\u2019s phone book<\/span>. Each website has a <\/span>unique IP address<\/b><\/a> that lets users connect to it. The IP addresses contain four number sets separated by periods (.), making them difficult to memorize.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DNS servers translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses<\/b>, enabling people to visit websites without their IP addresses. The DNS zone contains other records that help route <\/span>mail to mail servers, specify backup mail servers, authenticate emails, prevent email spam and phishing, specify ports for specific services<\/span><\/i>, and others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve put together all the resources that\u2019ll enable you to manage your DNS seamlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, let’s get started.<\/span><\/p>\n

How DNS Works<\/b><\/h2>\n

The domain name system helps match domain names to their<\/span> specific IP addresses<\/b>.\u00a0 About four DNS servers, scattered worldwide, work together to retrieve a domain\u2019s IP address to <\/span>enable users to connect to the website<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you enter a website\u2019s URL on your browser, the <\/span>DNS (recursive) resolver<\/b> receives the DNS query and tries to find its IP address from your local <\/span>DNS cache<\/b>. If it fails to retrieve the IP address, the DNS resolver sends a query to a <\/span>DNS root server<\/b> which searches for the IP <\/span>details of the TLD (for example, <\/b>.com, .org<\/i><\/b>)<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DNS<\/p>\n

It forwards the query to the <\/span>TLD name server.\u00a0 <\/b>The server contains the domain\u2019s specific DNS records. It sends the IP details to the <\/span>Authoritative name server,<\/b> which returns the correct <\/span>IP address to the DNS resolver.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Authoritative name server reroutes the <\/span>DNS<\/b><\/a> resolver to another name server when it has none or incomplete records.\u00a0 The DNS process ends when the DNS resolver takes the IP address to your browser to connect to the website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is a Domain and How To Get One?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

A domain name is an <\/span>easy-to-remember name associated with an IP address<\/b>. It allows you to visit our website using <\/span>scalahosting.com<\/span><\/i> instead of the IP address\u2014a string of 12 numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

They are <\/span>what visitors enter on their web browsers<\/b> when visiting a website. You could get one for your new website by following <\/span>the steps here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible to move your existing website to a new domain name.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is a Name Server<\/b><\/h2>\n

The DNS process utilizes <\/span>name servers<\/span><\/a> worldwide to help people find the correct IP address when surfing the internet. It\u2019s a critical component of the domain name system.<\/span><\/p>\n

The server translates domain names into their IP addresses, enabling you to browse the internet smoothly and without memorizing websites\u2019 IP addresses.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s My IP Address?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Internet-enabled devices have unique IP addresses that let other devices identify and connect to them. It’s a unique identifier that<\/span> makes devices accessible for communication<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

IP addresses are mathematically generated and assigned by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). You can <\/span>find your IP address<\/b> using the <\/span>Scalahosting IP Checker<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are My Name Servers and Domain IP Address? How can I see my Current Ones?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Just like internet-enabled devices, domains also have IP addresses. Your <\/span>domain IP address<\/b> is the <\/span>unique numerical ID assigned<\/b> to your domain that enables other computers to find and communicate with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can find the IP address and your name servers on your SPanel admin dashboard. Log in to your <\/span>SPanel account<\/span><\/a> with admin access and click <\/span>Server Information<\/b> under the Server Management section.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DNS<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll see your hostname, IP address, and name servers (1 and 2) on the new page. You can <\/span>learn more about this and point your domain to your name server<\/b><\/a> using this resource.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Add a DNS Record and Edit an Existing DNS Record<\/b><\/h2>\n

DNS records are instructions in DNS servers<\/b>. They provide information about the domain and instruct DNS and mail servers on handling requests for the domain. Each record works behind the scene to give users seamless surfing experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>A record<\/b> contains information about the domain\u2019s IP address, <\/span>CNAME record<\/b> maps a domain or subdomain to another domain with an A record, <\/span>MX record<\/b> specifies the mail server that\u2019ll receive your email messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

SPF, DKIM,<\/b> and <\/span>DMARC records<\/b> help authenticate email messages. You can add a DNS record to your zone file and edit existing records by taking the <\/span>steps in this resource<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is a Parked Domain<\/b><\/h2>\n

Domain parking refers to registering a domain for later use. Users register the domains without linking them to any website or email hosting service. People often use them for name <\/span>reservation or traffic redirection<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> business might park its domain name variant<\/b> (let\u2019s say,<\/span> domains.com<\/span><\/i>) to redirect traffic to its primary domain (for example, <\/span>domain.com<\/span><\/i>). It helps them cater to people trying to reach them with the wrong domain name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some register multiple domain names and point them to their main websites. Check out this guide to learn more about <\/span>how parked domains work<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are .me Domains?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Dot Me (<\/span>.me<\/b>) domains are top-level domains (TLD) for people wanting to protect their personal brands or business, <\/span>build their personal brand online or personalize their online presence<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The .me domain is safe and ideal for creating a call-to-action out of your brand name. It\u2019s SEO-friendly, and <\/span>Google ranks it the same way as other TLDs<\/b>. You can personalize your brand by registering a .me domain through Scalahosting for a yearly fee of <\/span>$27.65<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out <\/span>this article<\/span><\/a> for everything relating to .me domains.<\/span><\/p>\n

DNS Records (NS, A, MX, CNAME, SPF) Explained<\/b><\/h2>\n

Every domain requires some essential DNS records to be able to work properly.\u00a0 The records contain instructions written in <\/span>DNS syntax that commands DNS servers<\/b> on what to do and also specifies its <\/span>time to live (TTL)<\/b>. The TTL is the amount of time in seconds the DNS server refreshes the record.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the essential DNS records:<\/b><\/p>\n