High-performance DNS with high availability

A DNS record is a set of information required to "connect" a domain name to a "technical" server hosting a specific service. In order for internet services to work, it's essential to provide correct DNS records. The role of DNS servers is to make these records available. The DNS server, then, is the underlying basic requirement for bringing a website online.

Each domain name registered at Gandi gets access to free DNS servers, linked to our developed technologies and features.

There are many different types of DNS record, according to the way you want to use it. If you use Gandi's LiveDNS, here is the list of DNS registrations that you can add to your domain name:

• A — Used to point your domain name to a server with a static IPv4 address
• AAAA — Used to point your domain name to a static IPv6 address
• Alias — Used to point your bare domain (that is, without 'www' or other subdomain, also called the "Apex") to a webhost, that is, another domain name (and not an IP address)
• CAA — Used to provide information to a Certificate Authority during the SSL certificate creation process
• CDS — Used as a copy of a DNS record
• CNAME — Used to point a subdomain to another web address
• DNAME — Used to create a domain alias
• DS — Used to establish a chain of trust to your DNS zone so that DNSSEC will work
• LOC — Contains geographic data about your domain
• MX — Used to define a mail server, that is, to link your domain name to an email service
• NAPTR — Principally used to manage internet telephony sessions
• NS — Used to designated the authoritative DNS server
• PTR — Used to verify the IP address an email is sent from
• TXT — Used to attach information to your domain or subdomain. Very flexible with many uses, like validating ownership of a domain name in the context of attributing an SSL certificate or adding an SPF record, used to authenticate emails
• SRV — Used to link a "web" service to a host name (i.e. another domain name)
• SPF — Formerly used record format for preventing email spoofing. Now replaced with a specifically formatted TXT record
• RP — Used to provide information about a "Responsible Party" for a domain name
• SSHFP — Used to identify SSH keys associated with a domain name
• TLSA — Used to specify certificate constraints for services on a particular TCP or UDP port. At least one TLSA record should provide validation for a certificate

All of these DNS records are supported by the Gandi LiveDNS REST API.
To learn more about the different types of DNS records, how they're used, and how to use them at Gandi, please feel free to consult our DNS record documentation.

It's very easy to change DNS records, but be careful:

• If your domain name is registered with Gandi and you use Gandi LiveDNS, you just need to log in to your customer account to change your DNS records
• You use a third-party nameserver provider: you should get in contact with them in order to update your records

DNS record changes are immediately visible on your DNS zones but it may take a few hours for all DNS resolvers to register the changes.

DNS is like the internet's phone book. For an internet user, a domain name, that is, a website's address comes in the readable format 'example.com,' which is easier to understand and remember. However, for web browsers, the important part is the IP address, which would be nearly impossible for us to remember. And that's where DNS comes in — DNS translates domain names into IP addresses so that exchanges can take place and make websites accessible via an easy-to-remember domain name.

That's why DNS is essential for a website to be available on the internet. At Gandi, for each domain name registered, you get our high-performance, high-availability LiveDNS servers.

The first step is to verify that the problem is, in fact, a DNS problem and not one related to your domain name registration. For example, forgetting to renew a domain name might look like a DNS problem from the start. It's also possible that your domain name has been suspended or placed in an "onHold" status due to incomplete identity verifications or that your domain name was associated with an email spammer.

Once you can rule out these possibilities, there are two recurrent problems with DNS management to check:

1. If you recently updated your DNS records, it's possible that the previous version is still saved in a cache, preventing you from seeing the update. In this case, you just need to wait a couple of hours to see if the problem is still there or if it goes away on its own.
2. Your DNS record contains an error. Most of the time, this will be a missing dot at the end of a CNAME registration (in the "Value" field, that is, the address to which the record points), or you added the entire domain name or web address in the "Name" field (where only the subdomain is required).

If you still can't figure out what the problem is after trying these, feel free to contact our support team.