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Quick answer: DNS is the internet's address book. Nameservers say who holds your domain's records; the records then say where your website is (A or CNAME) and where your email goes (MX), plus TXT records that prove ownership and protect email.
Nameservers
Your domain points to a set of nameservers, usually your host's. Whoever runs those nameservers controls all your DNS records. Changing nameservers moves control of every record at once, which is why it must be done carefully.
The records that matter
| Record | What it does | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| A | Points a name to an IPv4 server address | Your website |
| AAAA | Points a name to an IPv6 address | Your website on IPv6 |
| CNAME | Points one name to another name | www pointing to your main domain |
| MX | Says which servers receive your email | Your mail host |
| TXT | Holds text, used for verification and email security | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Google verification |
Email security records
- SPF lists which servers may send email for your domain.
- DKIM adds a digital signature to outgoing mail, published as a DNS key.
- DMARC tells receiving servers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM, and where to send reports.
Together they stop others pretending to be you and help your email reach inboxes instead of spam.
Why changes take time
DNS answers are cached around the world for a period set by each record's TTL (time to live). After a change, some people see the new record within minutes and others only after the old cache expires, commonly a few hours and occasionally up to 48 hours. Lowering the TTL a day before a planned change speeds things up.
Tip: Before changing anything, export or screenshot your current DNS records. It is the quickest way to undo a mistake.
Domains & Hosting from Digitalx, priced in writing before we start.