Cloud DNS services are getting popular. More and more companies are benefiting from the Cloud infrastructure and advanced tech that DNS providers can offer. To be able to make a choice, you need first to understand what Cloud DNS service is.
What is DNS?
DNS is an international system for domain resolution. It is responsible for linking domain names to their IP addresses. When a person writes a domain name in their browser, or they demand it through an application, his or her device needs to find where the domain name is. It will start a search that will involve DNS recursive servers that will ask, and Authoritative DNS servers will answer for the zone they are responsible for by providing an IP address in a case of A or AAAA records.
Why DNS in the cloud?
When you have a website or an application, you want this domain resolution to happen as fast as possible. A great way to achieve it is by shortening the distance between the person who needs the answer and the DNS servers that can provide it.
When we are talking about the cloud, we are referring to multiple DNS servers inside multiple data centers. Having more than one server provides answers closer to people because each DNS server can answer the DNS query.
The Cloud DNS beats a single DNS authoritative server because it can cover bigger territory and shorten the DNS query path and response time.
Cloud DNS service
Cloud DNS service is a cloud service, usually SaaS, that the users use to manage their domain name. They can create DNS zones, DNS records (like PTR, CNAME, MX, etc), set multiple points of presence (PoPs), load balancers, and CDNs.
A Cloud DNS service has an easy-to-use interface or API that makes it effortless to administrate domain names and use Advanced DNS services like GeoDNS, DynamicDNS, Forwarding, etc.
What is makes it especially good is that users don’t bother with hardware support or connectivity. The infrastructure and the software are 100% the responsibility of the provider. The provider must guarantee them and the normal functionality of the service they offer.
There are multiple Cloud DNS service providers like ClouDNS.net, Cloudflare.com, DNSimple.com, and big cloud providers like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and many more.
Usually, choosing a smaller provider can offer better performance and more features per dollar than the big providers. While the big ones often can offer a larger DNS network.
It is very important to check the DNS network of the available DNS server of the provider you want. See if it covers the right region for you.
Benefits of Cloud DNS
Speed. A shorter travel distance of the DNS query will mean faster DNS resolution and a better experience for the users who want to access the domain name.
Redundancy. It will provide additional DNS servers and remove the single point of failure. Now even if one of your DNS servers is down, your domain could still be accessible.
Scalability. An important aspect of cloud services is that upgrading or downgrading is usually easy. It only takes a few clicks and selecting the right plan for you.
Additional feature. DDoS protection is a good benefit that some DNS providers have. It will add a layer of protection that will stop many DDoS attacks. GeoDNS is also an interesting additional feature that will understand the traffic and provide IP-specific answers to the clients that will lead them to the closest DNS server. There are many more great features.
Conclusion
Cloud DNS service is an easy way to speed up your domain resolution easily and cost-effectively. It can add a better performance to your site, whether it is a small blog or a massive e-commerce site.
