What Is DNS and How Does It Work?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It's often described as the internet's phone book - it translates human-readable domain names (like example.ca) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 198.51.100.42) so browsers and other software know where to connect.

How Does DNS Work?

When you type a domain into your browser, a series of lookups happens in the background:

1. Your browser checks its local cache. If it has recently looked up the domain, it uses the cached result.
2. If not cached, your operating system queries a DNS resolver - usually provided by your ISP or a service like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).
3. The resolver queries the root nameservers, which direct it to the appropriate TLD nameservers (e.g., for .ca or .com).
4. The TLD nameservers point to your domain's authoritative nameservers - for dotCanada-hosted domains, that's typically ns1.dotcanada.com and ns2.dotcanada.com.
5. The authoritative nameserver returns the DNS record (like an A record with an IP address), and the browser connects to that address.

Common DNS Record Types

• A record: Maps a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address.
• CNAME record: Aliases one domain name to another.
• MX record: Specifies where email for the domain should be delivered.
• TXT record: Stores text data, often used for verification and email authentication.

DNS changes can take up to 24–48 hours to propagate worldwide. If you need help managing your DNS records, contact our support team.