BlogHosting & domains
DNS hosting and why it affects uptime
By Micah Ondiwa, Senior Software Engineer 1 min read
If DNS fails, your website and email disappear. Choose reliable DNS hosting and manage changes carefully.
DNS translates your domain into addresses. When it fails, everything on the domain becomes unreachable.
Reliable DNS hosting
Use a provider with multiple nameservers in different locations.
Careful changes
Document records, change one thing at a time and keep backups of zone files.
Monitor
Check that key records resolve correctly.
Secure the account
Multi-factor authentication on the DNS provider account.
TTLs
Use sensible TTLs — long for stable records, shorter before planned changes.
Protect against hijacking
Attackers who gain access to DNS can redirect your website and email. Registrar and DNS account security, transfer locks and alerts on DNS changes help prevent this.
Keep a copy of your records
Export or document your DNS records regularly so they can be restored quickly if needed.
About the author
Micah Ondiwa
Senior Software Engineer
Micah Ondiwa writes about software engineering — application architecture, APIs and integration, data and AI-assisted development, and reliable delivery.