GeoDNS: How to get started?

Introduction to GeoDNS: What it is, why it matters?

GeoDNS is a powerful tool for website owners and internet service providers that enables better web performance through geographical targeting. It works by redirecting user traffic to an appropriate server based on their location, which can improve website speed and reduce latency. In addition, by directing traffic to the nearest available server, GeoDNS can provide greater redundancy and reliability and the ability to move traffic to offload the load of busy regions quickly. All of these factors make GeoDNS an invaluable tool for managing user experience and controlling costs, making it an essential component for any website.

Typical DNS vs. Anycast vs. GeoDNS

Benefits of using it

• Improved Website Performance: Redirects users to the nearest available server, which can improve website speed and reduce latency. 

• Cost Savings: The ability to control user traffic and choose the best server for the task can result in significant cost savings.

• Increased Redundancy & Reliability: By directing traffic to different servers based on geographical location, GeoDNS can create redundancies that help the website remain available and running.

• Load Balancing: By distributing user traffic to different servers, Geographical Domain Name System helps to reduce the load on busy regions and prevents any server from becoming overwhelmed. 

• Improved User Experience: GeoDNS can lead to a better overall user experience by maximizing website performance and reliability.

Which DNS records does GeoDNS use? 

GeoDNS uses a variety of DNS records to direct user traffic to the best server based on their geographical location. The most common records used are A, CNAME, and ALIAS, though other records such as TXT and SRV may be used depending on the application. A records are used to specify which IP address to assign to a particular domain. CNAME records are used to create aliases for a domain. Finally, ALIAS records can be used to create a link between different domain names. 

When using GeoDNS, it is essential to consider other DNS records such as NS, MX, and SPF. NS records are used to specify name servers for a domain. MX records are used for email routing, and SPF records are used to determine which IP addresses or domain names are allowed to send emails from that domain. Properly configuring these records is essential for running a secure and reliable website. Geographical Domain Name System can help to ensure that users are directed to the best server based on their geographical location while also helping to maintain website security and reliability.

Tips for choosing a GeoDNS provider

When choosing a GeoDNS provider, it is crucial to consider several factors. The first and most important is the availability of support. Geographical Domain Name System can be a complex system to configure and maintain, so choose a provider that can provide technical assistance when needed. Secondly, consider the pricing model of the provider. Different types of DNS can have extra costs, and picking the most cost-effective for your website is vital. Finally, consider the features of the provider. Does the provider have features such as automatic failover or GeoIP targeting? Finding a provider that offers the features you need to ensure the best performance for your website is crucial. 

GeoDNS can be a powerful tool for website owners, but choosing the right GeoDNS provider is essential. Consider the availability of support, the pricing model, and the features offered to find the best provider for your website. A good provider can make a difference in ensuring your GeoDNS setup is secure, reliable, and cost-effective.

Conclusion

GeoDNS is a powerful tool that can help website owners and internet service providers manage user traffic and improve the performance and reliability of their websites. By redirecting users to the closest server and balancing load across regions, GeoDNS can reduce latency and create redundancy. It can also help save on costs and improve the overall user experience. If you’re looking to improve the performance of your website, GeoDNS is worth considering. With the right provider and careful setup, you can take advantage of the many benefits GeoDNS offers.

Most popular DNS records – a brief introduction

Getting familiar with the Domain Name System (DNS) is not easy. But it is a must if you plan to have an online business. This brief introduction to the most popular DNS records can be one of your first steps into the DNS realm. Take it easy! Here we go.

What are DNS records?

Shortly, DNS records are text files with different information and instructions for DNS servers (name servers). Based on the DNS record, the information it will hold. It can be the IP address of a domain, аn instruction to manage DNS requests for that domain in a certain way, etc.

SRV record explained

Most popular DNS records

  1. Address or A /AAAA records

The two are address records. The difference between them is that A records work with IPv4 (32-bit address) and AAAA records with IPv6 (128-bit address). IPv6 is the latest version, and it is superior compared to IPv4, but still, both work. They have the same objective, to link a domain name with its corresponding IP address. They have a key role in the DNS resolution process that makes it possible for users to reach your website.

  1. Canonical name or CNAME record

The CNAME record points out that a hostname is the alias of another. It helps a lot to manage subdomains because by adding it, you don’t need individual records for every subdomain. A DNS request to a subdomain using a CNAME record will redirect the request to the canonical domain to obtain the proper answer.

  1. Nameserver or NS record

The NS record points out the DNS authoritative server for a specific domain. The authoritative server is the one that holds the original DNS records of the domain. You will need it, for instance, to inform other servers where they can request the associated IP address of your domain. It is not rare that a domain uses many NS records. This can be a sign that it has primary and secondary nameservers. NS record is, without a doubt, one of the most popular DNS records.

Suggested article: Why is it crucial to invest in Secondary DNS?

Configuring is a delicate task. A single typo in the configuration of the NS record will cause users can’t load your domain.

  1. Pointer or PTR record

The PTR record points an IP address to a domain name. It is an essential record for communication between machines. Humans work much better remembering domain names, but machines’ communication language is numbers. Again, a small mistake configuring PTR records can cause e-mails you send to go directly to spam.

  1. Mail Exchange or MX record

The MX record holds the information to know the mail server that must receive the e-mails sent to a specific domain name, yours, for instance. An error in its configuration and you will not receive the e-mails people (potential clients) send to your domain.

Conclusion

These are the most popular DNS records but not the only ones. As you see, they are essential for different processes to happen. Small files with a big job!

Why is it crucial to invest in Secondary DNS?

The clue for you to answer this question about Secondary DNS is redundancy! If you run or own an online business, you understand very well how important it is to rely on additional resources, not a single one, to keep operating.

Let’s go deeper to answer this question properly.

What is Secondary DNS?

Secondary DNS is a service you can get to back up your Primary DNS. It is an alternative network of name servers used to save copies of the zone file and your domain’s DNS records. A Secondary DNS added to your Primary DNS will give different points of presence (PoPs) to your domain. And this represents many benefits for your online business.

When you get the Backup DNS, all its network servers will only save copies. This means it’s safe because it does not allow any addition, removal, or modification to your domain’s DNS records. Doing such actions is possible only on the Primary DNS.

If you look for Secondary DNS information or services, you will find it as Slave DNS or Backup DNS too.

Why is it crucial to invest in Secondary DNS?

It’s crucial to invest in it because it provides redundancy, improves DNS resolution, and offers extra benefits to your online business.

Easy configuration.

Adding the service of Secondary DNS will be easy for you. Its configuration takes only a little time. A Secondary zone must be created, and a zone transfer executed to copy the Primary DNS zone file on it. The frequency for the Secondary servers to get an updated copy of the DNS data can be set up from the beginning on the Primary DNS. Later on, they will do this task automatically.

Redundancy for your online business.

When you get Secondary DNS, you are getting not another server but many more servers globally distributed to your network. This is a huge benefit because no matter where on the planet your clients request your domain, they will receive an answer. Visits to your website won’t be interrupted due to failures, attacks, or downtime on a server. This is the level of redundancy you need to solve downtime issues. If a server is down, another will for sure work!

Reliable DNS backup.

To have a reliable copy of the DNS records of your business and the zone file itself on the Backup servers is not bad at all. If something goes wrong with your Primary DNS, you will have copies of these important DNS data.

Improvement of the overall performance.

Having such an extra network working together with your Primary DNS will produce a positive domino effect. The speed to resolve DNS requests will be quicker. Latency won’t be a problem. Clients will load your domain faster. This effectiveness in handling the traffic will prevent stress on your Primary DNS.

Conclusion.

Having a Secondary DNS is a crucial investment! You should not miss all the benefits it can provide to your daily online operation. If you still don’t have it, consider the investment seriously!

DNS services explained in detail

DNS services are responsible for name resolution, routing emails, communication between IoT devices, CDN routing, and much more.

But what are they exactly? Let’s go into detail and explain the DNS services.

DNS (Domain Name System)

The DNS (Domain Name System) is a globally-distributed system for resolving domain names to IP addresses. It basically matches the hosts to their addresses and routes all the DNS queries.

Without it, it would be extremely hard to use the Internet. You would need to know all the IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6) of the hosts you need to connect to.

DNS services explained

The DNS services are software that runs on DNS servers and allows you to manage your domain. You can purchase a plan for DNS services or use a Free DNS plan and manage your domain through it. Usually, the companies that offer such services will provide you with an easy-to-use interface for interacting with their service.

You can also rent servers and install DNS services on them, but it is more complicated.

DNS services allow you to fully manage your domain by adding and removing DNS records, adding and removing servers and zones, and more. Each DNS record type has its purpose: to point to a target, to announce a service, to route the traffic, etc.

You can have access to Primary and Secondary DNS servers. The Primary servers host the original DNS data, which you can modify on them. The Secondary just copy the data and serve to provide better and faster name resolution.

Not all DNS services are the same. Some DNS providers have a broad network of servers all around the world. That allows better DNS resolution, regardless of where the DNS queries are coming from.

Others focus on a particular region. For example, a DNS provider can concentrate on Asia, having more than 50% of their DNS servers there while almost neglecting the rest of the world. It could still be a good service if you are almost exclusively on the Asian market.

The DNS services strongly improve your uptime. Using a paid service, you will get access to multiple DNS servers. Even if one or two are down due to maintenance or cyber attack, you will still have more to answer the incoming queries.

When you check different providers, you will see many additional services. Let’s explain a few of them:

DDoS protection – Intelligent firewall that will protect you from DDoS attacks.

DNSSEC – additional features to encrypt the DNS queries and make them safer for your clients.

DDNS – Dynamic DNS for pointing your Dynamic IP address to a fixed name.

Load balancer – a method for managing the queries that improve network performance.

GeoDNS – load balancing based on the IP addresses of the visitors.

Reverse DNS – connects the IP address to a domain name and serves for verification.

Conclusion

DNS services help you host your DNS records and can provide better DNS resolution. You can also enjoy the benefit of multiple servers, additional and very useful features, and improved uptime.