What is DNS Management?
DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names like app.example.com into the IP addresses computers use to connect. DNS management is configuring those records to route traffic to the right servers.
In plain English
DNS is the internet's phone book. When you want to call 'app.example.com,' DNS looks up its number (IP address) so your browser knows where to actually connect. Without it, you'd have to memorize every website's IP address.
How it works
DNS records live at your domain registrar or a dedicated DNS provider like Cloudflare. Common record types include A records (domain to IPv4), CNAME records (domain to another domain), and MX records (for email). When you update a record, changes propagate globally within minutes to 48 hours depending on TTL settings.
Why it matters for AI-built apps
Misconfigured DNS is one of the most common reasons a new deployment is unreachable. AI-generated deployment instructions can produce incorrect record values or miss required verification records. Understanding DNS lets you diagnose 'site not found' issues quickly and configure subdomains for staging environments, APIs, and third-party services.
Best practices
Use Cloudflare as your DNS provider even if you registered your domain elsewhere — it's fast, free, and adds DDoS protection. Set short TTLs (60–300 seconds) before major DNS changes so you can propagate and roll back quickly. Keep an inventory of all DNS records so nothing is undocumented.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my domain still show the old site after changing DNS?
DNS changes are cached by servers worldwide according to the TTL value. Lower TTL values before making changes to speed up propagation. Use dnschecker.org to see propagation status by region.
What's the difference between a CNAME and an A record?
An A record points directly to an IP address. A CNAME points to another domain name, which then resolves to an IP. Use CNAMEs for subdomains pointing to managed services so you don't need to update them if the service changes its IP.
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