What are Domain Names, Registrars, and DNS?

We know this sounds bizarrely simple, and most people will think they know the answer, but we deal with these kind of things on a daily basis, and we have come to realise many people actually do not know the answer!

To explain how all this works, we need to first get a handle on how things actually work on the Internet.

What is a Domain Name?

Domain names, or Website Addresses, helps the internet work like your contact application on your phone. Instead of remembering everyone’s phone number, you just use their name, and your phone finds them on your contact list and calls their number.

Domain Name works very much in the same way. Instead of having to remember everyone’s Server IP Address, there is an Internet Directory Book, also known as DNS (Domain Name Server). These hold the record of all Domain Names, and their respective addresses.

Without Domain Names, finding websites would be a very difficult task.

What is a DNS?

Domain Name Servers (DNS) are directories held around the internet, that tell your browser what server is holding the Domain Name (or the website) you have typed into your browser. The browser is then directed to the server that is hosting the domain/website. The hosting server recognises the domain name (website) and opens up the correct website.

Who owns the DNS?

In order to make finding a Domain Name/Website fast, there are hundreds of thousands of Domain Name Servers around the world. DNSs are kept by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) locally to speed up the process. They are synchronised by using DNS held by Domain Registrars.

What is a Domain Registrar?

Domain registrar is the company that “sell” domain names. They hold the information about the person that “owns” the domain name, and where the website is hosted. They are the critical part of the Internet as they are the source of key information, that tells browsers where a website/domain name is hosted.

They record the IP Address of the website’s hosting company (Name Server), so that all other global DNSs know where the request for a website should be sent.

Why do I have to pay for my Domain Name every year?

There 2 reasons for this.

Firstly, you never own your domain name! Yes really. You obtain “the Right to Use” the name, so it is like licensing. You pay for the right to use and not ownership, hence we use “ “ whenever we refer to a Domain “Owner”!
Secondly, someone has to pay for maintaining the information and the infrastructure that manages this information. That someone is the person who holds the right to use, namely you.

What happens if I do not renew my Domain Name?

Most Registrars offer a grace period, but not all. For example if you own an ES domain name, you get zero grace period from their Registrars, whilst some Registrars for .com give you 7 or more days.

If you do not pay for renewal, your domain name is put up for sale. Whoever pays for the domain name, will take over the domain name and can determine where the traffic is sent to (Name Server).

Whilst the domain name is for sale, the traffic for your domain name will go to a “For Sale” holding page or any other destination your Domain Registrar determines (remember they control this aspect).

What happens when I change my Web Hosting Company?

The first thing you have to do is copy your website and emails, to the new hosting server. Don’t panic, most hosting companies offer a Migration service, so they do it for you.

Once everything is uploaded to your new hosting company servers, you then need to change the “Name Server” details at your Domain Registrar. Again, many hosting companies offer to do this for you, but they will need your login details for your Domain Registrar account.

Once this is done, the Domain Registrar updates all Global DNSs, which in turn updates the local DNSs. This can take anything between 4 hours to 48 hours, so for a while your website traffic will continue to go to the old server, until all DNS are updated. As local DNS update, some traffic goes to the old server and some to the new server, until eventually all traffic comes to your new hosting server.

Summary

Important to take away from this article is that you do not “own” your Domain Name, so it is critical to ensure you renew your Domain Name in a timely fashion.

If you buy a domain name from an existing owner, or a Registrar, make sure you have full access to the Registrar’s account. Registrars will only take instructions from the registered “Owner”. If you want to change your hosting company, or change the details of the “Owner”, only the person who has access to the Registrar Account can do that.

If you want to change your hosting company, then always ask for a “Migration” service, as they can make this process as easy as possible for you.