How DNS works

Quick answer: DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names like example.com into the IP addresses computers use. When someone opens your site, their device asks a chain of DNS servers for your domain's records and connects to the returned IP. You control those records at your DNS provider — usually your domain registrar.

Overview

Think of DNS as the internet's phone book. Every time a visitor types your domain, a resolver (usually run by their ISP or a public service like 1.1.1.1) walks the chain: root servers → TLD servers (.com) → your domain's authoritative name servers, which hold the actual records. The answer is then cached for the record's TTL (time to live), which is why DNS changes are not instant.

Before you start

• Know where your domain's DNS is managed — the registrar where you bought it, unless you delegated it elsewhere.
• Your Cloud2Y server's IP address, shown on the service page in the Client Area (where to find it).

Step-by-step guide

The record types you will actually use:

1. A — maps a name to an IPv4 address (how to update it).
2. AAAA — maps a name to an IPv6 address (details).
3. CNAME — makes one name an alias of another (details).
4. MX — tells the world which server receives your email (details).
5. TXT — free-form text used for verification and email security (details).
6. NS — delegates the domain to a set of authoritative name servers.

Check what a record currently resolves to:

dig +short A example.com
dig +short MX example.com
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com   # ask a specific resolver

Common issues

• Changes not visible? Old values stay cached until the TTL expires — see how long propagation takes.
• Editing the wrong zone: if your NS records point to another provider, edits at the registrar do nothing.
• Confusing registrar and DNS host: the registrar sells the name; DNS can be hosted anywhere the NS records point.

When to contact support

Cloud2Y manages the server side (your IP, reverse DNS). If your site does not open even though DNS resolves to the correct server IP, open a support ticket and include the domain and dig output.

Frequently asked questions

What is DNS in simple terms?

DNS is the internet's address book: it converts a domain name like example.com into the numeric IP address of the server hosting the site, so browsers know where to connect.

Who controls my domain's DNS records?

Whoever runs the authoritative name servers listed in your domain's NS records — usually your registrar, unless you delegated DNS to another provider like Cloudflare.

What is TTL in DNS?

TTL (time to live) is how many seconds resolvers may cache a record. A TTL of 3600 means changes can take up to an hour to be seen everywhere; lower TTLs speed up changes.

Related articles

• How to point a domain to Cloud2Y VPS
• How long does DNS propagation take?
• Common DNS mistakes
• Do I need a domain name to get started?

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