The short answer
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It's the system that translates a domain name people can read (like yourbusiness.com) into the numeric address (an IP address) that computers actually use to find each other on the internet.
Every time someone types your domain into a browser, DNS is what looks up "where does this domain actually point?" and routes the request there - all in a fraction of a second.
DNS records - the settings that make it work
DNS isn't just one setting - it's a set of records that each control a different part of how your domain behaves:
- A record - points your domain to the server hosting your website
- MX record - points your domain's email to your mail server (see our MX Records article)
- CNAME record - points a subdomain (like www or shop) to another address
- TXT record - used for verification and security, like SPF and DKIM for email deliverability
Why DNS changes take time
DNS records are cached (temporarily stored) by servers all over the internet to keep things fast. When you change a DNS record, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to about 48 hours to fully "propagate" - update everywhere. This is normal, and it's why a fresh domain or a hosting move sometimes takes a little while to fully go live everywhere.
Don't want to manage this yourself? When you get a website or hosting set up through us, we handle all the DNS configuration - domain, hosting, and email records - as part of the setup.