DNS and Nameservers Explained

Quick answer: DNS is the internet's address book. It points your domain to your website and email. Nameservers decide which provider holds that address book.

Nameservers

Nameservers tell the internet where your DNS records live, usually at your hosting provider.

The records that matter

• A record: points your domain to your website's server
• CNAME: points one name to another, for example www
• MX records: send your email to the right mail server
• TXT records: verification, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC to stop your email landing in spam

Why changes take time

DNS changes can take a few hours to spread worldwide, occasionally up to 48 hours.