What is DNS and what does it do?

Written by:
Leo Hoogma, 25 November 2021

One of our specialties is the custom of DNS records. But what exactly is DNS and what is it used for? We regularly receive this question from our customers. That is why we would like to explain this specialization in this blog post.

Domain Name System translates domain name into IP address
Each website has its own domain name. Thanks to DNS, if you type in, for example, Hoogmawebdesign.com, you will be forwarded to the IP address of our hosting server. DNS links domain names to IP addresses. You can think of it as the old-fashioned telephone book, after all, nobody remembers all numbers, it would be a lot more cumbersome if you had to remember 136.144.210.231 and type it every time you want to visit Hoogmawebdesign.com. That's why DNS connects this for you, in milliseconds.

If that's set up correctly, then it's done, right? you would say. Well no, the configuration of DNS settings goes a bit further than that.

What do you arrange with DNS?

DNS handles everything related to your domain name at server level. So also your mail settings and when using subdomains. For example, if you want to use blog.yourdomainname.nl, you have to ensure that visitors are directed to the correct server with the correct DNS settings, in order to end up on the website.
Or, for example, do you work together with another party and do you want to offer services via a subdomain of your website? Even then, the DNS must be set correctly so that the visitor goes to a package from this third party via the subdomain.

Each website has its own DNS configuration. Without it, the website won't work. DNS, for example, uses the MX records to ensure that all e-mail goes through the correct route. Is that via Google Workspace, Office 365, or another mail system? Then the mail should not be sent via our server, but via that of that mail system.

With our advanced spamfilters, as we offer by default, the e-mail is already filtered via DNS yet before it gets to the server. The mail is therefore first sent to the spam filter, and from there to the IP address of our server. In this way we ensure that harmful phishing emails and spam do not reach your inbox.

I`m going to use a different mail system, what now?
If you switch to another mail system, that provider will send you a number of DNS records. We then add it to your domain name, so that the mail traffic goes through the correct route. If the DNS is set incorrectly, your email or your website will not work.

Update of our DNS settings
We are currently updating the DNS records of all our websites. This is necessary because in this way we are transitioning to a more modern system, which is ready for IPv6, and which is also less prone to interference. We are making these changes to provide our customers with faster loading times for their websites, and it also improves the security of the websites. Do you want to know more about this, or do you have another question for us? Please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Email: info@hoogmawebdesign.com | Phone: 0597-855758