What Is DNS (Domain Name System)?

Why It Matters

Every time you type a domain name into your browser, DNS is what makes it work. Without DNS, you’d need to memorize IP addresses like 93.184.216.34 instead of domain names like example.com.

For domain forwarding, DNS is the starting point. Before Domain Forward can redirect your domain, your DNS records need to tell the internet to send traffic to our servers. This is usually just two record changes: an A record and a CNAME record.

How It Works

1. You type example.com in your browser
2. Your browser asks a DNS resolver: “What IP address is example.com?”
3. The resolver checks its cache, then queries nameservers up the chain
4. Eventually it reaches the authoritative nameserver for example.com
5. That nameserver responds with the IP address from the A record
6. Your browser connects to that IP address

This entire process takes milliseconds and happens before any web page — or redirect — loads.

Key DNS Record Types

Record	Purpose	Used By Domain Forward?
A Record	Maps domain to IPv4 address	Yes — points apex domain to our servers
AAAA Record	Maps domain to IPv6 address	Optional
CNAME	Maps subdomain to another domain	Yes — points www to our servers
MX Record	Routes email	No — untouched
TXT Record	Stores text data (SPF, DKIM, verification)	No — untouched
SRV Record	Maps specific services (ports)	No — untouched
CAA Record	Controls which CAs can issue certificates	No — untouched
NS Record	Delegates to nameservers	No — managed by registrar

DNS and Domain Forwarding Setup

To set up forwarding with Domain Forward, you typically:

1. Add your domain in the Domain Forward dashboard
2. Update your A record to point to Domain Forward’s IP
3. Update your CNAME record for www to point to Domain Forward
4. Wait for DNS propagation (usually under an hour)

Your email, TXT records, and other DNS records stay exactly as they are. You can also verify your setup with a reverse DNS lookup. See our DNS setup guide for step-by-step instructions.