Every time you type a website address into a browser, something has to translate that human-readable name into the numerical address computers use to find each other on the internet. That translation system is DNS — the Domain Name System.
DNS works a bit like a phone book, translating a name (a domain like example.com) into a number (an IP address like 192.0.2.1) that computers use to locate and connect to a server. Without DNS, you'd have to remember and type a string of numbers instead of a memorable domain name for every site you visit.
A records point a domain to a specific IPv4 address — the most basic and common record type, directly connecting a domain name to a server.
CNAME records point a domain or subdomain to another domain name rather than directly to an IP address, often used for subdomains pointing to a service.
MX records direct where email for a domain should be delivered, separate from where the website itself is hosted.
TXT records hold arbitrary text data, commonly used for domain verification and email authentication (like SPF and DKIM records that help prevent email spoofing).
When a DNS record is updated — pointing a domain to a new host, for example — that change doesn't take effect everywhere instantly. DNS information is cached at various points across the internet, and it can take anywhere from minutes to up to 48 hours for a change to fully propagate globally, which is why hosting migrations require planning around this delay.
DNS records are typically managed either through a domain registrar (where the domain was purchased) or through a separate DNS provider, if one is being used instead of the registrar's default DNS management. Understanding where your DNS is actually managed is essential before making any changes, since editing the wrong place has no effect on the live site.
Making DNS changes without understanding the propagation delay, and expecting instant results, is one of the most common sources of confusion. Editing the wrong DNS records, or editing them in the wrong management interface, is another common and easily avoidable mistake, particularly during hosting migrations or email setup changes.
DNS translates human-readable domain names into the addresses computers use to connect, using several distinct record types for different purposes (website, email, verification). Understanding the basics — what record types exist and that changes take time to propagate — helps avoid common, avoidable mistakes during hosting migrations, email setup, or any other DNS-related change.
Every domain name is really just a human-friendly alias for an IP address, and DNS is the lookup system that translates between the two. When you type a domain into a browser, your device asks a DNS resolver 'what server does this name point to,' gets back an IP address, and only then connects to the site — all in a fraction of a second, invisibly.
The most common records to know: an A record points a domain to an IPv4 address, a CNAME points one domain to another domain name instead of an IP, and an MX record tells the internet which server handles email for that domain. Misconfiguring any of these is one of the most common reasons a newly launched site or a freshly migrated email setup doesn't work.