DNS refers to the Domain Name System. It is a way to translate the website’s URL into something a computer could understand. However, aren’t you curious about what actually happened in this process? In this blog, you can find the answer.
Here we will introduce the definition of the DNS lookup and its types. To better understand it, we also show you the specific steps of this translation. In addition, we also list the reasons why it is important.
What Is a DNS Lookup?
As we mentioned, DNS can transform a domain name (www.example.com) into an IP address. Every time you type a URL into your browser, your devices like your computer will send a request to the DNS recursive resolver.
Then it will start to search for the IP address associated with this domain name. Once it is found, the DNS recursive resolver will transmit the information in the form of a web page. This whole translation process is a DNS lookup.
Why We Need a DNS Lookup?
The most important reason is devices connected to the network use IP addresses to communicate with each other. DNS lookup is like a digital phonebook. When you enter the URL, it can automatically find the right IP address.
Furthermore, without it, you have to remember a long string of irrelevant numbers to access your favorite website. These numbers are just set together, with no special patterns. We are aware that hackers might find your approximate location or other private information through your IP address. However, for a normal user who just wants to watch a TV show on his laptop, convenience is what he only cares about now.
On the other hand, imagine how many websites you will open in just one single day. If you have to memorize all the IP addresses, it could really drive you insane.
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Types of DNS Lookups
Forward DNS Lookup
It might be the most common lookup ways. Forward DNS lookup is what we discussed above. You type a URL into the browser, and it then translates the URL into an IP address.
Reverse DNS Lookup
As the name suggests, reverse DNS lookup alters the translating process. It transforms an IP address into a domain name. Reverse DNS depends on the PTR (pointer) record of a DNS server.
Without it, a server can’t solve the reverse DNS lookup. It is widely used in email servers. They will verify the identity, effectively preventing spam and phishing.
How Does DNS Lookup Work?
Step 1: The user types a URL into the browser. Your device will check the DNS cache to see whether it can find any related IP address. If there is no related IP address, the translation process will jump into the next step.
Step 2: The DNS recursive resolver receives this translating request and queries it in the DNS name server.
Step 3: The name server will reply with the address of a Top-Level Domain (TLD) server. It might look like .com or .net. The request is now queried to the .com TLD server.
Step 4: Then the TLD server returns with the IP address of the domain’s nameserver.
Step 5: The resolver queries the domain’s nameserver for the required information.
Step 6: The domain’s nameserver sends the IP address for the target URL to the resolver. The web browser finally receives what it requested.
Types of DNS Records
When it comes to DNS lookup, we can’t pass this term DNS records. You can regard DNS records as the guideline for DNS queries. They are instructions stored in the authoritative DNS servers. It includes information about the domain’s relevant IP address and how to respond to DNS requests.
For instance, it defines how long should the DNS resolver cache the record before requesting. This period is called time-to-live (TTL). Because the DNS cache will store your online activities. For your digital privacy and better efficiency, the DNS cache should be cleared from time to time. Here we will list some common types of DNS records.
A record: Short for address records. It can connect domain names to IPv4 addresses.
AAAA record: Like A record, it can translate domain names into IPv6 addresses.
CNAME record: It can redirect one domain to another.
MX record: MX stands for mail exchange and it can map emails to the domain mail server like directs example.com into mail.example.com.
TXT record: TXT refers to text. It includes textual information on domain names and is often used for verifying email security.
NS record: NS is for nameserver. It offers a list of the authoritative name servers.
Note:
To check your DNS records and other relevant information, you can just use some DNS lookup tools or DNS checkers. If you have some issues with your current DNS servers, you can change them to some famous public DNS servers like Google Public DNS or Cloudflare DNS.
Conclusion
After reading it, we believe that you have understood what DNS lookup is and why it matters. Besides, we also list the types of DNS lookup and DNS records. Hopefully, after learning some basic knowledge about DNS, it can help you solve some DNS errors and provide you with a stable connection.
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