DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet’s address book. When someone types yourbusiness.co.zw, DNS tells their device which server to connect to for your website, and where to deliver your email. Understanding the basics makes moving hosts and setting up email much less stressful.
Name servers: who is in charge of your DNS
Name servers are set at your domain registrar. They decide which company’s DNS records are used for your domain. When you point a domain to JomeTech Hosting, you change its name servers to the ones in your welcome email, and your DNS is then managed in cPanel.
The records you will meet most
A record
Points a name, such as yourbusiness.co.zw, to a server’s IP address. This is how visitors reach your website.
CNAME record
Points one name to another name. Commonly used to make www.yourbusiness.co.zw follow the main domain, or to connect third-party services.
MX record
Tells the world which server receives email for your domain. If MX records are wrong, email stops arriving even though the website works.
TXT record
Holds text used for verification and email security, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC. See why emails go to spam.
What is propagation?
DNS answers are stored (cached) by internet providers for a set time, called the TTL. After a change, some people see the new settings within minutes, others only after a few hours. Changes to name servers can take up to 24 to 48 hours in some cases.
Common mistakes
- Changing name servers without copying existing email (MX) records first, so email stops working.
- Editing DNS at the old provider after the name servers already point somewhere else, so the changes do nothing.
- Deleting TXT records used to verify Google, Microsoft or other services.
Let us handle it
Read how to move a website without losing email. When you transfer a domain or move a website to us, we check DNS, MX and SSL before and after, so your site and email keep working. Questions? WhatsApp 078 377 1089.