Code & dev

DNS explained simply: how your domain finds your website

1 June 2026 · 7 min read · By TM Team

TL;DR

DNS translates a domain name into the address of the server hosting your site. You'll mainly deal with a small number of records — usually an A record or CNAME pointing to your host — set at your domain registrar or your host's DNS panel. Changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, though it's often much faster.

Type a domain name into a browser and, within a fraction of a second, a page appears. Almost nobody thinks about what happened in between. That gap is DNS — the system that translates a human-readable domain name into the technical address of whatever server is actually hosting the site.

You don't need to understand DNS deeply to run a website. But the handful of settings you will occasionally need to touch — usually once, when connecting a domain to a new host — make a lot more sense once you know roughly what's happening underneath them.

What DNS actually does

Computers find each other on the internet using numeric addresses, not names. DNS — the Domain Name System — is essentially a distributed phone book that converts a name like yoursite.com into the numeric address of the server that should respond when someone visits it. Every time a browser loads a domain for the first time in a while, it asks DNS "where does this name point?" before it can request the actual page.

What happens when someone visits your domain

Type domain→

DNS lookup→

Server address found→

Page loads

DNS is the lookup step — invisible when it works, and the first thing to check when it doesn't.

The records you'll actually encounter

A domain's DNS settings are made up of individual records, each handling a specific job. Most small business site owners will only ever need to understand two or three of them.

The DNS records that matter for a typical website

Record	What it does	When you'll use it
A record	Points a domain directly to a numeric server address	Common when your host gives you a fixed IP address to point to
CNAME record	Points a domain to another domain name instead of a numeric address	Common with modern hosts that give you a hostname to point to (e.g. yoursite.netlify.app)
MX record	Routes email for your domain to your email provider	Only relevant if you're using email at your domain — unrelated to your website itself
TXT record	Stores verification text, often used to prove domain ownership	Common when connecting a domain to a hosting service or verifying it for a tool
Nameservers	Decide which DNS system manages all of the above for your domain	Set once, usually when you first connect a domain to a host or DNS provider

Nameservers vs individual records — the distinction that confuses people

This is the part that trips people up most. Nameservers decide which system is in charge of your domain's DNS settings overall. Individual records — A, CNAME, MX, TXT — are the specific instructions within that system. You typically set nameservers once, pointing them at whichever provider will manage your DNS (your registrar, your host, or a service like Cloudflare), and after that you manage individual records within that provider's dashboard, not by touching nameservers again.

Registrar vs DNS provider vs host — three different things

The company you bought your domain from (the registrar), the service managing its DNS records, and the service actually hosting your site's files can all be the same company or three completely different ones. None of that is wrong — it's just worth knowing they're separate roles so you know where to look when you need to change something.

Why DNS changes don't happen instantly

DNS information is cached — stored temporarily — at many points across the internet so that every single visit doesn't require a fresh lookup from scratch. That caching is what makes browsing fast, but it also means a DNS change you make doesn't reach everyone instantly. It has to expire out of all those caches first.

This delay is called propagation, and it commonly takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on how long the previous record was cached for. In practice, most changes are visible within an hour or two for most visitors, but it's worth planning around the slower end of that range rather than assuming an instant switch — especially the first time you connect a new domain to a host.

Don't panic mid-propagation

If you've just updated a DNS record and the site isn't loading correctly yet, or loads correctly for you but not for someone else, that's usually normal propagation delay rather than a mistake. Give it a few hours before assuming something is actually broken.

The handful of settings you'll actually touch as a site owner

For most small business site owners, DNS involvement is limited to one moment: connecting a domain to a new host. Your host will tell you exactly which record to add — usually either an A record with a specific IP address, or a CNAME record pointing to a hostname they provide. You add that single record (or occasionally two, for the root domain and the www version) at wherever your domain's DNS is managed, and that's typically the entire task.

1
Get the exact record from your host
Your hosting provider's setup instructions will specify exactly which record type and value to add — don't guess.
2
Find your domain's DNS settings
This is usually at your registrar (where you bought the domain) or a separate DNS provider if you're using one.
3
Add the record exactly as specified
Match the record type, name and value precisely — a small typo here is the most common cause of a domain not connecting.
4
Wait for propagation
Give it a few hours before troubleshooting further; most changes are live well within that window.
5
Confirm it resolves correctly
Visit the domain from a different network or device if possible, since your own browser may have cached the old result.

✓DNS translates a domain name into the address of the server hosting your site.
✓Most site owners only ever deal with an A record or a CNAME record, plus occasionally MX and TXT records.
✓Nameservers decide which system manages your DNS overall; individual records are the specific instructions within it.
✓DNS changes take time to propagate — often under an hour, but plan for up to 48 hours.
✓Your registrar, DNS provider and host can be the same company or different ones — all valid setups.

What is DNS in simple terms?

DNS is the system that translates a domain name, like yoursite.com, into the technical address of the server that should respond when someone visits it. It works like a phone book for the internet.

What's the difference between an A record and a CNAME record?

An A record points a domain directly to a numeric server address. A CNAME record points a domain to another domain name instead. Which one you use depends on what your host asks you to set up — modern hosts often prefer CNAME.

How long does a DNS change take to go live?

Often under an hour, but it can take up to 48 hours in some cases because of caching across the internet. This delay is called propagation, and it's normal — not a sign something went wrong.

Do I need to understand DNS to run a website?

Not deeply. Most site owners only ever touch DNS once, when connecting a domain to a new host, and the host will specify exactly which record to add.

Why isn't my domain working right after I changed a DNS record?

This is almost always propagation delay — the old DNS information is still cached somewhere between you and the visitor. Wait a few hours before assuming the record itself is wrong, then double-check the record's exact type and value against your host's instructions.

what is DNSDNS explainedA record vs CNAMEnameservers explainedDNS propagation