In today's fast-paced world, we're all used to typing a website address into our browser and having the page load almost instantly. But have you ever stopped to think about the complex system making that happen? That's where DNS, or the Domain Name System, comes in—it handles trillions of requests, converting easy-to-remember names into numerical IP addresses. According to Cloudflare, in the first quarter of 2025, they blocked 20.5 million DDoS attacks, a staggering 358% increase from the previous year. These numbers highlight the risks involved, where even a split-second delay can drive customers away.
* For more information on how to detect a DDoS attack and protect your site, see our article:“DDoS attacks and detection: how to keep your website resilient”
DNS is more relevant than ever because it directly impacts how quickly your site loads and how secure it is—factors that can make or break your online business. Google penalizes slow-loading sites in search rankings, and unsecured domains lose out on traffic. In this guide, we'll break it all down: what DNS really is and how it works. Whether you're just launching your first website or curious about why pages sometimes take forever to load, this will help you get up to speed.
Without DNS, the internet would be a nightmare of numbers—imagine typing 172.67.188.12 instead of hostiserver.com every time. It acts like a massive address book, connecting users to servers seamlessly.
For instance, if someone in Europe wants to access your site, DNS figures out the quickest route; otherwise, delays would be unavoidable.
This ties straight into SEO and user experience: fast responses keep visitors hooked, since half of them bounce if a page takes longer than three seconds to load. Plus, DNS is crucial for security—unprotected queries attract hackers, with organizations facing an average of 7.5 DNS attacks per year (indusface.com). In 2025, IPv6 adoption hit 49.56%, making DNS even more essential for compatibility (google.com).
It's wild to think that in the early days of the internet, back in the 1970s and 1980s, everything relied on a single hosts.txt file maintained at Stanford Research Institute. Every computer downloaded a copy, but as sites multiplied into the thousands, it became unmanageable.
That's when, in 1984, Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel invented the DNS protocol—they distributed data across servers, allowing the internet to scale without limits.
Today, DNS integrates with cutting-edge tech like AI for threat detection. Features like DNSSEC prevent spoofing, while services such as Quad9 prioritize privacy.
Simply put, a DNS server is like a guidepost—it tells your device where to go by providing the IP address. When you enter a site address in your browser, your device first reaches out to a DNS server. Without it, the browser wouldn't know where to find the page.
DNS servers come in different types, each with a specific role:
Let's dive into how a DNS query actually happens—it's the process where your device looks up an IP for a domain name. It's lightning-fast, but understanding the steps can help troubleshoot issues and fix them quickly.
The process boils down to these 6 key steps:
This all happens in milliseconds, thanks to caching. In 2025, recursive queries are popular, but iterative ones offer precision. Facing delays? Check your settings.
DNS records are like rules for your domain—they handle everything from email setup to subdomains and dictate how it interacts with services.
Here are the main types:
| Record Type | Purpose | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Maps to IPv4 | 172.67.188.12 |
| AAAA | Maps to IPv6 | 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 |
| CNAME | Alias | hostiserver.com |
| MX | Mail servers | mail.hostiserver.com (priority 10) |
| TXT | Text info | v=spf1 include:_spf.hostiserver.com |
The hosts file is your local "translator" for domains to IPs, bypassing external servers. It's great for testing: point to a local IP and preview your site without going live.
Where to find it:
Edit with admin rights. In practice, it speeds up development by skipping unnecessary delays.
Cache stores IPs temporarily for faster repeat visits. TTL (Time to Live) dictates how long—from minutes to days.
But changes can cause issues: old IPs might linger up to 48 hours.
How to clear it:
At Hostiserver, we optimize for quicker updates.
Ready to boost your site? Try our risk-free hosting—we're here if anything goes wrong!