What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is the system that translates domain names, such as www.example.com, into IP addresses, such as 192.0.2.1. This translation is important because IP addresses are used to locate and identify devices on the internet, while domain names are easy for humans to remember and use.

There are several types of DNS records, including:

• A (Address) record: An A record maps a domain name to an IP address. For example, the A record for www.example.com might map to the IP address 192.0.2.1.

• AAAA (Quad-A) record: An AAAA record maps a domain name to an IPv6 address. It works similar as A record but for IPv6 address.

• CNAME (Canonical Name) record: A CNAME record maps a domain name to another domain name. For example, the CNAME record for www.example.com might map to example.com. This is useful if you want to point multiple domain names to the same website.

• MX (Mail Exchange) record: An MX record specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email for a domain. For example, the MX record for example.com might specify that mail sent to user@example.com should be sent to mail.example.com.

• NS (Name Server) record: An NS record specifies the name servers for a domain. Name servers are responsible for providing DNS information for a domain. For example, the NS record for example.com might specify that the name servers for the domain are ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com.

• TXT (Text) record: A TXT record is used to provide text information about a domain. It can be used for various purposes such as holding SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records, DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) records and other information about a domain.

• PTR (Pointer) record: PTR record maps an IP address to a domain name. It is typically used for reverse DNS lookups.

These are the most commonly used DNS records, but there are many other types as well, such as SRV (Service) records and CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) records.