What is DNS?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the most important parts of running an online business. It connects human-readable web addresses (like www.marketplacer.com) to machine-readable IP addresses (like 104.198.108.154). Without DNS, customers wouldn’t be able to reach your website, emails, or subdomains.

Domains and Subdomains

• When you buy a domain, your registrar may include DNS hosting or charge extra for it.
• A domain can have multiple subdomains (e.g., www, shop, webmail).
• Each subdomain can point to different servers — keeping your website, email, and other services separate but working together.

Common DNS Record Types

A DNS record maps a subdomain to a destination. Key record types include:

• A Record (Address): Points a subdomain directly to an IP address.

  • Example: www.marketplacer.com → 104.198.108.154

• CNAME Record (Canonical Name): Points a subdomain to another domain.

  • Example: support.marketplacer.com → marketplacer.zendesk.com → IP address

• Apex (Root) Record: Refers to the domain without a subdomain (e.g., https://marketplacer.com/). Represented by @ or left blank, depending on your provider.

• Wildcard Record (*): Matches any subdomain. Example: *.marketplacer.com → same destination, covering bob.marketplacer.com, jane.marketplacer.com, etc.

Editing DNS Records

The exact steps differ by provider, but the core process is the same:

1. Choose the subdomain (e.g., www).

2. Select the record type (A, CNAME, etc.).

3. Enter the destination (IP address or domain).

Note: You cannot usually have both an A record and a CNAME record for the same subdomain.

DNS Propagation

DNS changes don’t update instantly. Because DNS servers are spread worldwide, updates take time to propagate.

• Propagation speed depends on the TTL (time-to-live) setting in each record (measured in seconds).

• TTL tells servers how long to cache your DNS record before checking again.

• Updates may take a few minutes up to 24 hours.

Tip: Lower the TTL before making DNS changes to speed up propagation, then raise it again afterward.

You can track propagation using tools like whatsmydns.net.