From Domain to IP: Demystifying DNS Records in Minutes

🧠 First: Big Picture DNS is basically a huge phonebook: 👉 “Human-readable name” → “IP address” Example: educative.io → 104.18.2.119 But instead of just one mapping, DNS stores different types of records (RRs) for different purposes. 🧩 Key Terms (Super Important) 1. 🌐 Domain Name A domain name is the main name registered on the internet. 👉 Example: educative.io Think of it as your brand / root identity Managed at domain level 2. 🏠 Hostname A hostname is a specific machine/service under a domain. 👉 Examples: www.educative.io api.educative.io relay1.main.educative.io 👉 Structure: [hostname].[domain] So: educative.io → domain relay1.main.educative.io → hostname (specific server/service) 3. 🎯 IP Address The actual address of a machine on the internet 👉 Example: 104.18.2.119 Computers talk using IPs, not names 4. 🔁 Canonical Name “Canonical” = real/original name A canonical name is the true hostname of a server. 👉 Used in CNAME records Example: educative.io → server1.primary.educ