What DNS is, what nameservers do, and what A, CNAME, MX and TXT records mean, without the jargon.
DNS is one of those things you never think about until something stops working. A little understanding goes a long way, especially when you move a website, set up email or connect a new service to your domain.
DNS is the internet’s address book
Computers find each other by IP address, a string of numbers such as 203.0.113.10. People prefer names such as example.com. DNS, the Domain Name System, translates one into the other. When someone types your domain into a browser, DNS tells the browser which server to ask for your website.
Nameservers: who holds your records
Your domain’s nameservers decide which company holds its DNS records. If your nameservers point to Twerple, you manage your records in HostPanel. If they point somewhere else, such as Cloudflare, that is where you change them. Changing the nameservers moves all of your DNS in one go.
The records you will meet most often
| Record | What it does | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| A | Points a name to an IPv4 address | Your website’s server |
| AAAA | Points a name to an IPv6 address | The same, for IPv6 |
| CNAME | Makes one name an alias of another | www pointing to your main domain |
| MX | Says which server receives email for the domain | Your mailboxes |
| TXT | Holds text that other services read | SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification |
Why changes are not instant
To keep the internet fast, DNS answers are remembered for a while by servers all over the world. How long is set by each record’s TTL (time to live). That is why a change can take anything from a few minutes to 48 hours to reach everyone. If you are planning a move, lower the TTL a day in advance.
A few habits that save headaches
- Before you change anything, take a screenshot or note of your current records.
- Change one thing at a time and check it works before moving on.
- Never delete an MX or TXT record unless you know what it is for. It may be what keeps your email working.
Ready to make a change? Our guides Managing DNS records in HostPanel and Common DNS records and how to set them up walk you through it.