DNS record Archives - Mark Waters

Why is the PTR record so important?

by MarkMay 30, 2022May 30, 20220

PTR record is not one of the most popular DNS record types, but it is absolutely important. Why? We will explore this and its main purpose in this article. So, let’s start.

PTR record: Meaning

The reverse equivalent of an A record is known as a PTR record. The PTR record maps an IP address to a hostname, whereas the A record translates a domain name to an IP address. As a result, the Pointer record assures that your IP address connects to your host in an official manner.

If you’re utilizing both internal and external mail servers, you’ll need to set up the Pointer record. This record improves the reliability of sending servers by allowing the receiving end to verify your IP address’s hostname. It’s a great strategy to defend yourself from all kinds of spammers.

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DNS CAA record meaning

by MarkMay 25, 2021October 11, 20210

The DNS records are the instructions that clients and servers are searching for a particular domain. The common ones are the A records for a domain name to IP address resolution, the CNAME for redirecting subdomain to the domain name, MX for incoming mail servers, etc. But the DNS CAA record is not so well-known, so now we will explain it to you.

What is a DNS CAA record?

The DNS CAA record (Certification Authority Authorization) is a record that the DNS administrator of a domain can add to clarify which Certificate Authorities (CAs) can issue SSL or TLS certificates for the particular domain. The CA are external organizations that you, as a domain owner, can choose to issue cryptographic certificates like SSL or TLS for your domain name.

The cryptographic certificate is used to validate the domain owner and to encrypt the communication with that domain. That way, it protects sensitive data.

With the CAA, the domain owner will have improved control over the process of issuing certificates. He or she can clearly state who is permitted to issue certificates and lower the number of miss-issued certificated for that domain. The CAA record can be used for the whole domain, or chosen subdomains only, depending on how you set it up.

One common requirement for using CAA records is to first enable DNSSEC. That is required for better security and trust from the side of the CA.

How to add a CAA record?

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ALIAS record vs CNAME record

by MarkMay 12, 2021February 8, 20230

Let’s compare these two DNS record types that have a similar purpose. Both redirect from one hostname to another, but they have more than a few differences in between. Let’s see what exactly distinguishes the ALIAS record and the CNAME record.

What is the ALIAS record?

ALIAS record links two hostnames, showing that one is just another way to write the other. It is not a standard DNS record type, and not all of the Managed DNS providers offer it. This record type can coexist with other DNS records, for example, MX records. A great thing about the ALIAS records is that they will save time and not only show the other hostname, but an ALIAS query will return the IP address. The only problem with ALIAS that might lead you to CNAME records is that it doesn’t work well with GeoDNS because it will show the IP address of the name server and won’t redirect to the best location.

Why do you need an ALIAS record?

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