Intermediate
25 mins

DNS Management

Learn how to effectively manage DNS configuration, monitor health, and implement security best practices for your domains.

Prerequisites

  • Understanding of DNS concepts
  • Access to domain registrar
  • Basic networking knowledge
  • Familiarity with DNS records

DNS Management Overview

DNS Management Workflow

Visual representation of DNS management workflow and components.

1

DNS Configuration

Set up DNS records for your domain:

# A Records - Map domain to IP address
@ IN A 76.76.21.21

# CNAME Records - Map subdomain to another domain
www IN CNAME your-app.symbiosis.host
api IN CNAME api.your-app.symbiosis.host

# MX Records - Mail server configuration
@ IN MX 10 mail.your-app.symbiosis.host

# TXT Records - Domain verification and SPF
@ IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.your-app.symbiosis.host ~all"
_symbiosis IN TXT "verify=abc123def456"
2

DNS Propagation

Monitor and verify DNS propagation:

// DNS propagation check
const checkPropagation = async (domain, recordType) => {
  const servers = [
    '8.8.8.8',    // Google
    '1.1.1.1',    // Cloudflare
    '208.67.222.222' // OpenDNS
  ];
  
  const results = await Promise.all(
    servers.map(async (server) => {
      const result = await dns.resolve(domain, recordType);
      return {
        server,
        records: result
      };
    })
  );
  
  return results;
};

// Check propagation status
const status = await checkPropagation('example.com', 'A');
console.log('Propagation Status:', status);
3

DNS Health Monitoring

Implement DNS health checks:

// DNS health monitoring
const dnsHealth = {
  async check(domain) {
    return {
      resolution: await this.checkResolution(domain),
      records: await this.validateRecords(domain),
      performance: await this.checkPerformance(domain)
    };
  },
  
  async checkResolution(domain) {
    try {
      const start = Date.now();
      await dns.resolve(domain);
      const duration = Date.now() - start;
      
      return {
        status: 'healthy',
        responseTime: duration
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        status: 'error',
        error: error.message
      };
    }
  },
  
  async validateRecords(domain) {
    const recordTypes = ['A', 'AAAA', 'CNAME', 'MX', 'TXT'];
    const results = {};
    
    for (const type of recordTypes) {
      try {
        results[type] = await dns.resolve(domain, type);
      } catch (error) {
        results[type] = { error: error.message };
      }
    }
    
    return results;
  }
};
4

DNS Security

Configure DNS security measures:

// DNSSEC configuration
const dnssec = {
  // Zone signing configuration
  zoneConfig: {
    algorithm: 'RSASHA256',
    keyLength: 2048,
    validity: {
      zsk: '3 months',
      ksk: '1 year'
    }
  },
  
  // Generate DNSSEC keys
  async generateKeys() {
    const keys = {
      zsk: await this.generateZSK(),
      ksk: await this.generateKSK()
    };
    
    await this.storeKeys(keys);
    return keys;
  },
  
  // Sign zone with DNSSEC
  async signZone(zone, keys) {
    const signedZone = await this.createSignatures(zone, keys);
    await this.publishSignedZone(signedZone);
    
    return {
      signedZone,
      ds: await this.generateDSRecord(keys.ksk)
    };
  }
};

// CAA Records
const caaRecords = [
  '@ IN CAA 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"',
  '@ IN CAA 0 issuewild ";"',
  '@ IN CAA 0 iodef "mailto:[email protected]"'
].join('\n');

Best Practices

DNS Configuration

Best practices for DNS setup:

  • Use multiple nameservers
  • Implement DNSSEC
  • Regular record audits
  • Monitor TTL values

Security

Secure your DNS infrastructure:

  • Enable DNSSEC
  • Use CAA records
  • Monitor for hijacking
  • Regular backups

Performance

Optimize DNS performance:

  • Optimize TTL values
  • Use anycast DNS
  • Monitor resolution time
  • Load balancing

Common Issues

DNS Resolution

Common resolution problems:

  • Propagation delays
  • Incorrect records
  • Nameserver issues
  • TTL configuration

Security Issues

Security-related challenges:

  • DNS hijacking
  • Cache poisoning
  • DNSSEC errors
  • Zone transfer

Next Steps

Now that you understand DNS management, explore these related topics: