What is DNS? (Explained without the jargon)
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s phone book. When someone types your domain, DNS looks up which server holds your website and connects them. When you change hosting or email provider, DNS records are what get updated.
The phone book idea
Computers find each other with numeric addresses (IP addresses) like 92.204.51.7. Nobody wants to type that, so DNS translates yourbusiness.co.uk into the right number behind the scenes. Every visit to your site starts with that lookup, and it happens in milliseconds.
The records you will actually hear about
- A record: points your domain at your website’s server.
- CNAME: points one name at another, commonly www to the main domain.
- MX records: tell the world where your email should be delivered. This is how your site and email can live with different companies.
- TXT records: small notes used for verification and email security (SPF, DKIM and friends).
Why you might care
DNS is usually set once and forgotten. It only comes up when something changes: a new hosting company, a new email provider, or verifying your domain with Google. Changes take anywhere from minutes to 48 hours to spread around the internet, which is why techies talk about "waiting for DNS to propagate".
The takeaway
- DNS turns your domain name into the address of a real server.
- MX records route your email; A records route your website.
- Changes can take up to 48 hours to take effect everywhere.
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