What is DNS and how does it find a website?
Summary: DNS lets you use a memorable domain name while computers connect using network addresses. When you enter a website address, a resolver looks up DNS records and returns the information needed to contact the service. Other records route email, so one DNS change does not necessarily affect every service on a domain.
Table of contents
What happens when you open a site?
Your device asks a DNS resolver for the address associated with the domain. If the resolver does not have a recent answer cached, it follows the DNS hierarchy to the authoritative server for that domain. It returns a record such as A for IPv4 or AAAA for IPv6. The browser then makes a separate connection to the server.
DNS does not send the page itself. It helps locate the server; HTTPS and the web server handle the secure connection and page content.
Why can a DNS change take time?
Resolvers cache answers for a period set by the record's TTL. After you update an address, a resolver may keep using a previous answer until its cached copy expires. Lowering TTL immediately before a change does not shorten a cache that has already been stored.
Frequently asked questions
Does DNS point a domain to hosting?
It can direct a web name to a hosting address, but hosting serves the website itself. Email and other services use different records.
What if the website still does not load?
Check the exact hostname and record, then confirm the server accepts that domain and has a valid TLS certificate. Correct DNS alone cannot fix a server or certificate problem.
