Tag: DNS

List of the basic DNS record types

DNS record types

Dо you want to learn more about the different records? If yes, you are in the right place. Here you can find the list of the most popular DNS record types.

1. SOA record

The Start Of Authority record, or SOA record for short, is the first on our list. It is the one that must be comprehended. Why? It represents the beginning of the Authoritative DNS zone. This DNS record contains a wealth of data for the DNS zone. If you want your network to run smoothly and without errors, you’ll need this DNS record. It sends all requests to the principal DNS server. In addition, the SOA record contains the information and contact information for the DNS administrator. A variety of parameters, such as the domain serial number, are also included. It’s worth noting that each DNS zone should have just one SOA record.

How many DNS record types are there?

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What does UDP mean?

UDP

UDP explained

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol, and it is a popular communications protocol that offers a high-speed solution. It is used for producing low-latency and loss tolerating connections between the different applications on the Internet.

User Datagram Protocol boosts the speed of the communication process by allowing the transfer of data before the receiver provides an agreement. For that reason, User Datagram Protocol is the preferred option for time-sensitive communications, such as Domain Name System (DNS) lookup, Voice over IP (VoIP), video or audio transmissions.

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4 great free DNS hosting providers

free DNS hosting

DNS hosting service is a must to have for a domain to exist. No matter the size and type of domain you are planning to build (a big e-shop or a blog), you need this infrastructure for the domain to be accessible to visitors.

Choosing a quality provider is essential because DNS hosting impacts other important factors. A good or bad service will boost or hinder the domain’s performance, uptime, security, and speed. And, of course, the experience of users while visiting it. 

Why get free DNS hosting?

When searching for a DNS hosting provider, you have the choice of paying for the service or getting it for free. Paid services include premium features and more possibilities. But currently, there are reliable and robust enough free services for hosting almost any type of domain. Some free DNS hosting providers offer you: Dynamic DNS, IPv4, and IPv6 support, one account multiple domains, support for a wide variety of DNS records, forward and reverse DNS zones support, customer support, etc.

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CNAME record explained

CNAME record

The CNAME record is one of the first DNS records that you will read about when you are starting with DNS management. It has a very important task to do, showing the true domain name for the subdomains, making it really an essential DNS record. It saves time and makes it easier to manage the DNS.

CNAME explained completely

There are two parts in the CNAME’s name. C stands for canonical, and it wants to show which is the true domain name for the one that you are trying to resolve. The NAME is obvious. It stands for name, as in hostname.

What is the difference between DNAME record and CNAME record?

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Reverse DNS and PTR record – everything you need to know

Reverse DNS

Reverse DNS is a key component of the configuration of your mail server. 

Not having Reverse DNS can mean not sending emails! Without well-configured Reverse DNS zone and PTR records, the rest of the email servers can’t check your domain’s IP address and discard your messages or throw them into the spam box.

Everything you need to know about Reverse DNS

A Reverse DNS is a service that provides Reverse DNS zones for your domain. The Reverse DNS zones serve to host PTR records that can be used for verification purposes, to check the IP addresses and if they lead to the correct hostnames.

Why do you need PTR records?

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DNS TXT record explained

DNS TXT record

There are a lot of DNS record types, at least 50 out there! One of them is called DNS TXT record, and it has a variety of purposes. Yes, it is one simple text record, but it is widely used, so let us explain the TXT record.

TXT record explained

TXT record is a DNS record type that has text information designed for external to the domain sources. The text could be written for people, so it would be easy to read, has enough information and logically organized, or made for computers, and has a more technical format.

Usually, you will see, inside the TXT record, a piece of general information about the domain and an additional part for a particular type of validation.

How to start managing TXT records for your domain name?

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What is Time To Live (TTL)?

Time To Live TTL

What is TTL?

Time To Live (TTL) sounds like a horror movie, but luckily it is not related to people. It is the value that shows how long the information should be kept in a particular device. There are many pieces of data that have their own TTL value. Here we will see DNS TTL and CDN TTL. 

When we are talking about DNS TTL, it is related to the time that the DNS resolvers must keep the DNS records in their cache. Each of the DNS records will have its TTL value. There are some with longer TTL because there is less chance that the value will change and others with shorter TTL value, where there are often changes. 

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DNS propagation explained

DNS propagation

Imagine this situation. You have finally decided to truly manage your DNS. You have selected a DNS service provider, you have created master and secondary zones, and you have added all the DNS records that you will need. You spend a lot of time and effort. And after everything is ready, you want to check and… there are no changes! Don’t worry. The DNS propagation takes time.

What is DNS propagation? 

It is a process to update the changes that you make in your DNS. After editing or creating new DNS records, they are saved in the authoritative DNS nameserver. That is ok, but what about all the rest of the DNS name servers? The cache memory of the recursive DNS servers will still keep the older versions of the DNS records based on their TTL value.
The DNS propagation is the time it will take to propagate, to update the changes to all of the recursive name servers.

4 factors that affect the DNS propagation speed

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CAA record explained 

CAA record explained

CAA record is a DNS record that shows who can be the Certification Authority for a particular domain and issue certificates.

What is Certificate Authority (CA)?

The CA is the entity that has the right to issue certificates like SSL certificates or TLS certificates. You can easily identify the CA, based on their name and their certificate revocation list (CRL). The Certificate Authority must provide a public key or a certificate from their CA if it is subordinate.

What is the CAA record?

The CAA record (Certification Authority Authorization) is a DNS record that a domain name owner can use to specify the certificate authority which can issue for their domain name. Inside the CAA, the domain owner can adjust the settings that cover the whole domain or just particular subdomains.

If you manage the CAA on a domain level, it will automatically apply on the subdomain level, too, unless you set it inside the record.

The CAA work with both wildcard certificates and single-name certificates. Separate and together too.

Why do you need to use DNS CAA record?

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