Domain.Glossary

Domain Glossary

22 terms matching your filter

Clear

A Record

A DNS record that points a domain to an IPv4 address.

beginner

AAAA Record

A DNS record that maps a domain to an IPv6 address — the successor to the IPv4 A record.

intermediate

CNAME Record

A DNS record that creates an alias from one domain name to another.

intermediate

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

An email authentication method using cryptographic signatures to verify email legitimacy.

intermediate

DMARC

An email security policy that instructs receiving servers how to handle emails that fail SPF/DKIM checks.

advanced

DNS (Domain Name System)

The internet's phonebook — translates domain names into IP addresses.

beginner

DNS Propagation

The time it takes for DNS changes to spread across all servers globally, typically a few hours.

beginner

DNS Resolver

A server that performs recursive DNS lookups on behalf of client devices.

intermediate

DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions)

Cryptographic extensions that verify DNS records haven't been tampered with — protection against spoofing.

advanced

Glue Record

A special DNS record providing a nameserver's IP address when the nameserver is within the domain it serves.

advanced

HTTPS

The secure, encrypted version of HTTP — required for trust, SEO, and data security.

beginner

IP Address

The numerical address of a server or device on the internet that domain names resolve to.

beginner

MX Record

A DNS record that specifies which server handles email for a domain.

intermediate

Nameserver

A server that stores and serves DNS records for a domain name.

beginner

Root Zone

The top of the DNS hierarchy listing all TLDs and their nameservers — managed by ICANN/IANA.

advanced

SOA Record (Start of Authority)

The first DNS record in a zone file — contains administrative data about the domain's DNS zone.

advanced

SPF Record

A DNS record that authorizes specific servers to send email for a domain — prevents spoofing.

intermediate

SSL/TLS Certificate

A digital certificate that enables HTTPS encryption and verifies a website's identity.

beginner

TTL (Time to Live)

How long (in seconds) DNS resolvers should cache a record before refreshing it.

intermediate

TXT Record

A DNS record used for verification, email authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and other text data.

intermediate

Wildcard DNS

A DNS record using * to match any subdomain that doesn't have a specific record.

advanced

Zone File

The file on a nameserver containing all DNS records for a domain.

advanced