What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is like the internet's phone book. It translates human-readable domain names like acbizglobal.net into numeric IP addresses like 192.168.1.1 that computers use to find each other. When someone types your domain, their browser queries DNS servers worldwide to find your server's IP — this happens in milliseconds.
Essential DNS Record Types
- A Record — Maps your domain to an IPv4 address (your server IP). This is the most common record.
- AAAA Record — Same as A but for IPv6 addresses.
- CNAME Record — Alias from one name to another (e.g. www → yourdomain.com).
- MX Record — Directs email to your mail servers. Priority matters — lower number = higher priority.
- TXT Record — Used for SPF, DKIM, domain ownership verification (Google, Meta, etc.).
- NS Record — Specifies which nameservers are authoritative for your domain.
- TTL — Time To Live: how long DNS resolvers cache your records before re-checking.
Managing DNS in cPanel
cPanel → Zone Editor → Manage (next to your domain). From here you can add, edit, and delete DNS records. Changes typically propagate globally within 15–60 minutes.
Common DNS Tasks
- Point domain to hosting: A record, Name: @, Value: your server IP
- Point www: CNAME, Name: www, Value: yourdomain.com
- Verify domain ownership: TXT record at @ with the verification string
- Set up Google Workspace email: MX records pointing to Google's mail servers
Tip: Use dnschecker.org to verify your DNS changes have propagated worldwide.