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What is a DNS server?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phonebook


of the Internet. When users type domain names
 such as ‘google.com’ or ‘nytimes.com’ into web
browsers, DNS is responsible for finding the correct 
IP address for those sites. Browsers then use those
addresses to communicate with origin servers or 
CDN edge servers to access website information.
This all happens thanks to DNS servers: machines
dedicated to answering DNS queries.
What is a server?

A server is a device or program


dedicated to providing services to other
programs, referred to as ‘clients’. DNS
clients, which are built into most modern
desktop and mobile operating systems,
enable web browsers to interact with
DNS servers. For more, see 
The Client-Server Model.
?What happens when DNS servers fail

DNS servers can fail for multiple reasons, such as power outages, cyber attacks, and hardware
malfunctions. In the early days of the Internet, DNS server outages could have a relatively large
impact. Thankfully, today there is a lot of redundancy built into DNS. For example, there are
many instances of the root DNS servers and TLD nameservers, and most ISPs have backup
recursive resolvers for their users. (Individual users can also use public DNS resolvers, like 
Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1.) Most popular websites also have multiple instances of their authoritative
.nameservers
In the case of a major DNS server outage, some users may experience delays due to the amount
of requests being handled by backup servers, but it would take a DNS outage of very large
proportions to make a significant portion of the Internet unavailable. (This actually happened in
2016 when DNS provider Dyn experienced one of the biggest DDoS attacks in history).
Cloudflare offers a Managed DNS Service that comes with built-in DNS security aimed at
.protecting DNS servers from attacks as well as other common sources of server failure
The DNS is responsible for converting the hostname,
what we commonly refer to as the website or web page
name, to the IP address. The act of entering the
domain name is referred to as a DNS query and the
process of finding the corresponding IP address is
known as DNS resolution.
DNS queries can be of three types: recursive query,
iterative query or non-recursive query.
1.Recursive query – These are queries where a DNS
server has to respond with the requested resource
record. If a record cannot be found, the DNS client has
to be shown an error message.
2.Iterative query – These are queries for which the DNS
client will continue to request a response from multiple
DNS servers until the best response is found, or an
error or timeout occurs. If the DNS server is unable to
find a match for the query, it will refer to a DNS server
authoritative for a lower level of the domain
namespace. This referral address is then queried by
the DNS client and this process continues with
additional DNS servers.
3.Non-recursive query – these are queries which are
resolved by a DNS resolver when the requested
resource is available, either due to the server being
authoritative or because the resource is already stored
This is a server designed specifically to receive queries
from client machines. It tracks down the DNS record
and makes additional requests to meet the DNS
queries from the client. The number of requests can be
decreased with DNS caching, when the requested
resources are returned to the recursor early on in the
lookup process.
2.Root name server
This server does the job of translating the human-
friendly host names into computer-friendly IP
addresses. The root server accepts the recursor’s query
and sends it to the TLD nameservers in the next stage,
depending on the domain name seen in the query.
3.Top Level Domain (TLD) nameserver
The TLD nameservers are responsible for maintaining
the information about the domain names. For
example, they could contain information about
websites ending in “.com” or “.org” or country level
domains like “www.example.com.uk”, “
www.example.com.us” and others. The TLD
nameserver will take the query from the root server
and point it to the authoritative DNS nameserver
associated with the query’s particular domain.
4.Authoritative nameserver
 In the last step, the authoritative DNS nameserver will
What are the benefits of a DNS server?

There are many benefits to be seen when using a DNS


server. The most significant include:
•DNS servers help you locate websites by typing the
domain as opposed to its IP address
•They add an extra layer of security to your network
•Without DNS servers, online transactions would be
impossible
•If a website changes its IP address, the DNS server will
pick this up and automatically update its database so
users are unaffected.
•DNS servers are fast at what they do, meaning less
downtime for users
Best DNS Servers ■
Your internet service provider selects your DNS servers. Most people use these assigned ■
servers — but they don’t have to. If you’d like more speed or security, then you can try
.an alternative. Here are some of your best options
.1 Cloudflare DNS
                                                                           
Cloudflare DNS is an enterprise-grade DNS service that offers
some of the fastest response times, 100% uptime, and built-in
mitigation against DDoS attacks. With an average DNS lookup
speed of ms, Cloudflare is the fastest DNS service in the world.
It also has data centers in over 200% cities so it offers 100%
uptime and unparalleled redundancy. Finally, in addition to
built-in DDoS protection, Cloudflare offers one-click DNSSEC
to protect your application from DNS attacks.
Cloudflare also offers a free, public DNS service for those on a
budget.
Google Public DNS is a free, global DNS resolution service designed to be used as your ■
primary DNS server for faster web browsing experiences. This service implements
several methods for speeding up DNS lookup times, inclduing provisioning servers,
load-balancing, providing global coverage, and preventing DoS and amplication attacks
which can burden DNS servers. However, Google Public DNS, does not block or filter
.out unwanted sites — it is purely a DNS resolution and caching server
Used by over 90 million people, Open DNS is one of the most
popular free DNS services. It combines the best of borth worlds,
offering speed and security. It offers fast web browsing and
100% uptime thanks to its global data centers and peering
partnerships. It also offers web filtering controls and pre-
configured protection to prevent your device (or your family’s
devices) from accessing unwanted sites.  Open DNS
Quad9 is a free service designed to provide more security and
privacy than your default Internet Service Provider’s DNS
configuration. When your computer sends a DNS query, the
Quad9 server checks a constantly updated list of threats to block
lookups of malicious domain names. In addition to protecting
your computer against malware, phishing, spyware, and botnets,
this can improve performance and guarantee your privacy.
Comodo Secure DNS is a cloud-based DNS service that offers visibility, control, and ■
protection. Comodo offers three packages. Individual and businesses that make less than
300,000 DNS requests per month can use the free package. This provides protection
against phishing, malware, and other threats, web filtering for more than 80 content
categories, a web access policy protetion, and real-time visibility for all connected
devices. The premium packages can handle more requests per month and offer more
.advanced functionality like DNS traffic encryption

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