7/25/2026 ·Mizael Segovia· 10 min read ·
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Contact UsDNS is the system that lets people use memorable names such as teramont.net instead of memorizing IP addresses. Every time you open a website, send an email, or connect to many Internet services, DNS helps locate the correct server.
The short explanation is simple: DNS works like the Internet's contact list. You search for a name, and the system finds the corresponding address. It looks simple from the outside, but distributed servers, caches, and several record types work behind the scenes.
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a hierarchical, distributed system that associates domain names with information used to locate services: IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, mail servers, aliases, verification data, and more.
The original standard, described in the RFC Editor's RFC 1034, divides DNS into three major elements: the domain name space and resource records, name servers, and resolvers that perform queries.
Think about your phone's contact list. To call someone, you select “Ana”; you do not type the full number every time. Your phone stores the relationship between the name and the number.
DNS does something similar: it receives a human-friendly name and finds the address computers need.
When you type shop.example, your device needs to discover an address such as 203.0.113.10. Once it has the address, the browser can connect to the server and request the page. The address used here belongs to a documentation range and does not point to a real server.
Although they often appear together, each concept has a different purpose:
example.com.https://example.com/guides/dns.Buying a domain does not automatically create a website. You also need somewhere to host it and DNS records that explain how to reach that service.
For the user, it happens in milliseconds and usually goes unnoticed. In a query that is not already cached, the simplified journey is:
The resolver asks different layers of DNS until it reaches the authoritative server that knows the answer.
.com, it identifies the domain's authoritative name servers.Google Public DNS documentation clearly distinguishes a recursive resolver from authoritative DNS hosting: the former finds answers for users, while the latter publishes a domain's official records.
Repeating the full journey on every visit would be inefficient. Browsers, operating systems, and recursive resolvers therefore store answers temporarily in a cache.
TTL means Time To Live. It specifies how many seconds a record may be retained before it must be queried again. With a TTL of 3600, an answer may remain in certain caches for up to one hour.
This explains so-called “DNS propagation.” After you change an IP address, some users may see the new server while others continue using an older cached answer. There is no button that can simultaneously erase every cache on the Internet.
Imagine a coffee shop changes address. Someone who checks today's directory reaches the new location; someone holding a photo of the previous directory may visit the old one. TTL controls how long that “photo” may be considered valid.
Host your website, API, or service on a VPS with dedicated resources, root access, and DDoS protection. Then point your DNS records to its IP address.
Each record type answers a different question: where a website lives, which server receives mail, or how a domain is verified.
Associates a name with an IPv4 address. It is commonly used to point a domain or subdomain to a VPS IPv4 address.
example.com. 3600 IN A 203.0.113.10Performs the same role as an A record, but uses IPv6.
example.com. 3600 IN AAAA 2001:db8::10Creates an alias that points to another name. For example, www.example.com can be an alias of example.com. It is not an HTTP redirect; it acts during DNS resolution.
Identifies the servers that receive email for a domain. It includes a priority: lower values are preferred.
Stores text associated with a domain. It is frequently used for verification and email policies such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. A TXT record does not execute code; it only publishes information.
Suppose your VPS has the IPv4 address 203.0.113.10 and you want to host a website at example.com. A basic setup could look like this:
@ A 203.0.113.10
www CNAME example.com.
api A 203.0.113.10The @ symbol commonly represents the root domain in a DNS panel. Exact syntax varies by provider. These records only identify the destination; you still need to configure the web server, virtual host, firewall, and TLS certificate on the VPS.
If you want to host email, do not add a random MX record. You need a correctly configured mail server, authentication records, consistent reverse DNS, and a healthy IP reputation.
A VPS can work using only its IP address, but a domain simplifies access and lets you organize services with subdomains:
www.example.com for a website.api.example.com for an API.panel.example.com for a private panel.status.example.com for a status page.mail.example.com for mail infrastructure.This separation lets you move services, change IP addresses, or distribute applications without forcing users to learn new addresses. You update only the relevant DNS records.
For a practical application example, our guide to install OpenClaw on a VPS shows a case where a domain and HTTPS help expose a service cleanly. You can also read the Astro deployment guide for VPS.
No. Those addresses belong to public resolvers that devices can use to look up answers. Changing the resolver on your computer does not modify a domain's authoritative records or replace the panel where you manage its DNS zone.
This distinction prevents a common misunderstanding: resolving DNS and hosting DNS are different functions. A resolver such as Google Public DNS finds information; an authoritative provider publishes official information.
Traditional DNS was designed in a different era and has gained extensions that improve its security:
Avoid running an unrestricted open recursive resolver on your own server; misconfigured resolvers can be abused in DDoS amplification attacks.
Understanding DNS helps you get more value from a server. With a Teramont Host VPS, you can deploy websites, APIs, panels, databases, and applications with root access, Linux or Windows, DDoS protection, and allocated resources.
Once the VPS is deployed, point your domain using A and AAAA records, create subdomains for each service, and enable HTTPS. Your users get clear names while you retain control of the infrastructure.
Ready to put this into practice? Explore Teramont VPS plans, choose the resources your application needs, and connect your domain when the server is ready.
No. The Internet can carry traffic using IP addresses without DNS, but it would be much less convenient for people. DNS is one of the systems that makes the Internet easier to use.
It depends on the previous TTL, caches, and the provider. Some changes appear within minutes, while some users may retain the previous answer for several hours.
No. DNS points to the service's location. Files and applications run on hosting, a VPS, a platform, or another server.
Yes. A web server can host several domains and decide which site to serve based on the requested name. Configure every domain in DNS and on the server.
It is not required: you can connect directly to the IP. However, a name such as ssh.example.com is easier to remember and lets you change the IP without changing the name administrators use.
DNS is the Internet's naming system: it translates human-friendly domains into information that helps locate servers and services. When you enter an address, the browser checks caches and resolvers until it receives an authoritative answer, then connects to the destination.
Understanding A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, and TXT records helps you publish a website, organize subdomains, configure email, and connect a domain to a VPS. You do not need to memorize the full hierarchy to begin; understand which question each record answers and verify changes carefully.
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