Guides . Websites

What DNS is, and why a change takes a day

DNS is the internet's directory. It points your web address at your website and your email.

If it starts to blur, that is the part we handle for you.

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DNS is the street-signs part

DNS is the street-signs part from our how-a-website-works guide. When someone looks up your name, the signs point them to the right place.

Your name, like yourshop.com, does not say where your website lives or where your email lands. DNS does that. It sits in the middle and points the way.

When we change it, the new directions take a day or two to reach everyone. That is normal. Nothing is broken.

Saying 'I bought my domain at GoDaddy' only tells you where you rented the name. It does not say where your website lives, or where your email lands.

The path

What happens when someone looks up your name

Follow one visit from left to right. DNS sits in the middle and points the way.

Someone types your name like yourshop.com
DNS reads the signs the internet's directory
Points to your host where the site lives
Points to your mailbox where mail lands

How DNS works

One name, pointed at different places by 'records'

DNS holds small entries called records. Each record is one street sign that points a piece of your name at one spot.

Change the signs and you point the same name at a new building. The name never has to change.

  • Name servers: the main directory your domain reports to. They pick which company's street signs answer for your name.
  • The website record: the sign that points yourshop.com at the building where your site lives. Change it and the same name leads to a new building. The name itself never changes.
  • The email record: a separate sign that points your mail at your mailbox. It is its own sign on purpose, so your email can live at one company while your website lives at another.

Two separate signs

The website record vs the email record

Both hang under the same name, but they are different signs pointing at different places. That is why your site can be down while your email still works, or the other way around.

The website record

Points your name at your web host

  • Sends visitors to the building where your site lives
  • Change it and the same name leads to a new building
  • Can live at one company
The email record

Points your mail at your mailbox

  • Sends your mail to your email provider
  • Its own separate sign on purpose
  • Can live at a whole different company

The big reassurance

Why a change takes a day or two to reach everyone

When we update your street signs, the new directions do not reach the whole world at once. The change spreads out across the internet, which takes time.

  1. 1

    We put up the new sign

    We change the record so your name points at the new building or the new mailbox. On our end, this takes only minutes.

  2. 2

    The old directions stick around

    To stay fast, computers and networks all over the world remember the old sign for a set time. Until that memory runs out, they keep sending people the old way.

  3. 3

    The new sign spreads out

    As each network's memory runs out, it picks up the new sign. This happens at different times in different spots. That is why a friend can see the change before you do.

  4. 4

    Everyone catches up

    Within a day or two, the last old memories run out and the whole world uses the new directions. Nothing was broken. It just needed time to spread.

Real questions we get

The things people ask us mid-switch

My site looks down but my coworker says it loads fine. Did something break?
Almost surely not. During a switch, some networks still have the old directions and some already have the new ones. You are seeing different signs at the same moment. Give it a little time and everyone lands on the same place.
My website moved but my email went quiet for a bit. Why?
The website and the email are separate signs, so they can settle at slightly different times. When we plan a move, we work to keep your mail flowing. If something looks off, tell us and we will check the mail sign.
Can you make the change spread faster?
Not really. Anyone who promises instant is overselling it. We can prep ahead so the old memory is short, and time the change for a quiet part of your week. The rest is the internet catching up on its own.
It has been an hour and it is still not showing for me. Should I worry?
No. A day or two is normal, and your own device often holds the old memory the longest. If it is still off after a couple of days, call us and we will look.

If this is getting confusing, let us just handle it

You do not have to keep the registrar, the host, and the email straight in your head. Tell us what you are trying to do, or where you bought your domain. We will map out where everything really lives and make the change cleanly. If a switch is coming, we will time it and keep your mail flowing. If you would rather not think about DNS at all, call us. That is the whole point.

Get help with this Or call 717-299-1277

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