DNS and its Importance
DNS is an integral part of the internet. Without it, we would not be able to browse the web, send e-mails or chat with friends on social media. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a system that translates domain names into IP addresses and vice versa. It is what allows us to find websites like Google or Facebook with just one word instead of typing in the complicated string of numbers that represents their address.
They provide name resolution for fully qualified domain names, like “google.com” or “facebook.com,” and make it easier for users to access websites and send e-mails (using their respective IP addresses).
It also helps in converting an e-mail address into its equivalent Internet Protocol (IP) address or vice versa. All these services are performed by DNS servers which act as middlemen between domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.
To check what DNS you are using :
Open the command prompt in Windows (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type “nslookup” followed by your domain name.
For example, if you wanted to find out what DNS is being used for Google, you would type “nslookup google.com” into the terminal window. This will bring up a response including the IP address and name of your DNS. You can also use “dig” to get an authoritative answer from a specific DNS server, but nslookup will usually be sufficient for most users.
How DNS Works
Working of domain name server (DNS) is defined as an application that converts human-readable domain names into numerical IP addresses. When you are trying to visit a website, your computer will look up its numeric IP address so it knows which server on the Internet to connect with and then send information back and forth between them using packets of data traveling over networks.
In order to work, DNS servers need to be set up on a server that supports them, and then those servers must have information on them about which domain names they are responsible for. Each DNS set up on a server is called a “zone” and each zone has its settings that can be configured to determine how it works.
Zones have different types of records associated with them, such as A (address), CNAME (canonical name), or MX (mail exchange).
Types of DNS Queries
Just like different types of records exist in a zone file depending on the type of DNS query being made (A for address, CNAME for canonical name, and MX to indicate mail exchange), you also have some types of queries that exist in the DNS world.
Recursive Queries:
When your computer needs to know how to reach a specific website and you send out a recursive query, it’s going to go through an iterative process of asking more questions from other DNS servers until eventually being given an answer or told that there is no such record existing on the Internet.
Iterative Queries:
When you’re trying to visit a website and it needs to figure out where on the Internet that site is located, an iterative query goes through multiple steps in order until eventually being given an answer or told that there is no such record existing on the Internet. These types of DNS queries can be caused by a lack of bandwidth, overused networks, or even faulty hardware.
Transactional Queries:
When you try to visit a website and your computer is trying to figure out how to reach it before connecting, this can be handled by transactional queries that are typically designed for high-speed searching within the DNS database. Because these types of DNS queries don’t require multiple steps or iterative reviews, they’re much faster.
DNS Issues
Several DNS issues can occur and we’re going to discuss some common ones here.
DNS errors:
These types of DNS issues typically come up when you try to visit a website or send an email and get back an error message like “you don’t have permission” or “connection refused.” This can be caused by an incorrect DNS server, port issues, or a problem with the registry.
DNS timeouts:
When you try to visit a website and it times out on you before eventually giving up completely, this is typically due to some type of network issue that’s causing packets of data to get lost along the way.
Domain name not found errors:
When you try to visit your website and instead get an error message that reads “domain does not exist” this is typically the result of some type of DNS issue. These types of DNS issues can be caused by an incorrect DNS server, a faulty domain name, or even externally imposed restrictions.
DNS Hijacking:
When you try to visit your website and instead get sent to another place on the Internet that looks similar but is not yours this can happen because someone has hijacked it with DNS hijacking software. These types of DNS issues can be caused by malicious software, viruses, or even spyware.
Conclusion
Domain Name System is a crucial part of how the internet works. For most end-users, this system goes about its work quietly in the background and without any issues. DNS also has security benefits as well by making sure all traffic passes through your servers first, you can block any unwanted connections before they reach your website server.
