TLDR: DNS settings are you domain settings, it’s where you point your domain to your website. It can also be used for email settings and verification. They can be found in your domain settings from your domain provider such as 123 reg or hostgator.

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What are DNS Settings?

DNS stands for Domain Name System and it looks like this.

Content has been blacked out here for security reasons.

You will notice there are several different types

• A : This is the most important one and there should only be one A type where the name is @. In the data section you will see a line of numbers, this represents the IP address of the server where your website lives.
• NS : This is the name server where your DNS settings can be found, it is possible to have your DNS settings live somewhere else, for example your domain is registered on 123 reg but your DNS settings can be found and changed on cloudflare. This is an advanced feature and avoided if you are not sure what you are doing.
• CNAME : This allows you to redirect domains. For example www.pivotal-flow.com can be redirected to pivotal-flow.com (Notice the www has been removed). It can also be used for subdomain management. For example if you wanted your membership platform to be on members.pivotal-flow.com you would add members as a cname and point it to the correct IP address
• SOA :  It provides important administrative information about the domain and is the starting point for the DNS zone. Each DNS zone must have an SOA record, and it is usually the first record in a DNS zone file. The SOA record helps DNS servers know how to manage the zone.
• MX : These records are to do with your email system setup and sometimes used as a verification method. When you set up an email such as hello@pivotal-flow.com in order to use the pivotal-flow.com at the end instead of gmail.com for example, you will need to add records to your DNS settings.
• Txt: These are records that generally get used for verification. If you wanted to set up a service such as google search console you will need to add these records to your DNS settings.

In most cases if you are setting up and email, search console or linking your domain to a website. The service you are using will tell you what needs to be added to your DNS settings.

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Pro tip: Copy the previous data for that record before replacing it. Keep track of what is changed incase your website breaks after the update, in which case you can revert it.

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How to Access DNS Settings

Accessing DNS settings can vary depending on your service you brought your domain from. Here's a general guide for the most common systems:

1. Login to your domain provider. Common ones are 123 reg, godaddy and hostgator.
2. Locate your control panel or dashboard that lists your domain names you have brought.
3. Next to the domain you want to change look out for  a link ‘Manage’ or ‘DNS’
4. Click on that link and it should take you to your DNS settings area.
5. Click add new record
6. Follow the instructions from the service that requests you add the settings to your domain settings
7. Save
8. Reload your website in incognito mode (Chrome > File > New incognito mode) and if it loads ok then return to your service and click ‘Verify’

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Conclusion

Understanding and managing your DNS settings can significantly impact your internet experience. By following these simple steps, you can easily access and update your DNS settings to potentially improve your browsing speed, enhance your privacy, or troubleshoot network issues.

Remember, if you're unsure about making changes to your DNS settings, it's always best to consult with an IT professional or your internet service provider.

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