DNS, DNS Records And Nameservers Explained

Let’s keep it short and simple. In This post we are going to explained the difference between DNS, DNS records and nameservers.

DNS

DNS means domain name system. You and I communicate with words. If I were to tell you to go to Google.com or YouTube.com you would understand and easily remember the word google.com or Youtube.com

Computers and servers on the other hand understand numbers or IP addresses. If the IP address for YouTube is 208.65.153.238. If I were to tell you to go that IP address it would be hard to remember and it be extremely hard to know what that IP address is for.

Your browser take the name YouTube.com in human language and using DNS convert it to computer language. The YouTube IP address 208.65.153.238 now understood by the computer. Now the computer can use the IP # to go to YouTube and comeback and show you what you see in your browser.

DNS Records

DNS records is just an entry or a database record used to map a URL to an IP address.

There are many DNS records. Most of us only use a few. Like A record and cname record. A record which link domain name to IP address and cname record which link name to another name like www. or subdomain. We also use MX records which link domain name to email addresses.

Nameservers

Trying to keep it short and simple, ok, Nameservers is simply who control the DNS records.

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