In this article, we will define some common terms that you will encounter during the process of updating your DNS records.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a system for which domain names are assigned. The best and most common analogy used to describe what DNS actually represents is to think of it as a phonebook or address book for websites. In this “address book,” every single website that is active and live on the World Wide Web has a specific “address” or “location” associated with them.

Consider the process of switching from one website builder to another. You may use WordPress to actually edit your website, but GoDaddy is the domain’s host (these will be explained later in more detail). When moving to another website builder, such as BoxCast Sites, your domain’s host (GoDaddy in this example) needs the new “home address.” The DNS records (the “address book”) will need to be updated to reflect the new “home address.”

An A Record is one part of the “home address” of your domain, such as the street address. In fact, the “A” stands for address!

An A Record consists of one or more IP addresses. These IP addresses help point your domain to the right location (in this case, BoxCast Sites). Each builder you may use will have different A Record values unique to those platforms.

CNAME stands for Canonical Name. If the A Records are the street address, the CNAME is the addressee name. This value correlates to your website host’s domain. When editing this value, you will always input a URL, never an IP address. For example, when editing your CNAME for BoxCast Sites, you will always input “s.multiscreensite.com” in the appropriate field. This tells your domain registrar or host where to locate the new home address of your website.

An SSL certificate is what secures your website for your visitors and any data they provide to your site. SSL means Secure Sockets Layer. While a full explanation is out of the scope of this article, know that these certificates are what helps keep your website’s in-and-out traffic secure. This ensures that any data that is submitted to your site (such as with form responses on a contact form) are encrypted.

When your site does not have an SSL certificate present, many browsers will warn the visitor that the site is not secure or outright refuse the traffic without an override. Most domain hosts should automatically provide SSL certificates, but be sure to check with your domain host’s support team to ensure that a certificate has been generated for your domain.

BoxCast Sites will generate an SSL certificate for those who are using the “boxcast.site” default domain (i.e.: those who do not have a purchased domain of their own). We cannot generate SSL certificates for custom domains purchased from a registrar.

Though these terms sound similar, they are actually fairly distinct.

A domain registrar is where you purchased your domain name (URL) from. Typically, these services will also offer hosting services, but not all will do so. This means that when you purchase a domain from a registrar, you will need to ensure it also provides DNS hosting. Otherwise, you will need to also locate a domain host to generate the DNS records for you.

A domain host is where the domain name itself is actually assigned and has DNS records generated. A domain host can also be a registrar, but can also be a service provider separate from the registrar.

To use an example, you may purchase a domain name from Tucows Inc., but another platform, such as Bluehost, may actually generate the DNS records for the domain. A registrar is like a broker in this way.

However, it is exceedingly common for the domain registrar and the host to be the same platform. For example, you can purchase a domain name from GoDaddy and they will simultaneously host the DNS records for you (usually at no additional cost; be sure to consult with the platform for more information). This streamlines the process considerably, especially when it comes time to edit your DNS records.

If you’re not sure which of these scenarios best describes your domain, we encourage you to reach out to the platform where you first purchased your domain. Typically, they will be able to assist you with this information.

An IP Address is a string of numbers that identifies where a computer, website, or other device is located on a network. In the context of websites, IP addresses are used for A Records and are the location information needed to properly direct a website’s content to the domain URL itself.

An example of an IP address format is “200.00.0.0”. There are many different combinations for IP addresses and each one will be unique. An A Record will always be an IP address, whereas a CNAME will never be an IP address.

A website editor or host is as it sounds: the platform through which you make changes to your current website. Much like how domain hosts and domain registrars can be separate platforms, it is also possible for your website editor or host to be a separate platform from your domain host or registrar.

To use an example, your domain registrar could be Tucows Inc., your domain host could be Bluehost, and your website editor could be Wix.

However, the most common set-up tends to be an all-in-one approach. Many platforms will try to consolidate the process as much as possible. It is more likely that someone would purchase their domain through Wix, have it hosted on Wix, and also edit the website itself through Wix.

Though the terms may seem synonymous, they are not.

The domain host, as described above, simply holds the DNS records, the “directions” or “map” used to get your website information (i.e.: the visual and interactive aspects of the website) connected to the domain name itself.

The website host is where you perform tasks such as editing existing pages (as described above under “Website Editor”) as well as the place where the visual and interactive aspects of the website “live” so that visitors can view them.

BoxCast Sites would be a website host, whereas GoDaddy is a potential domain host.

As such, website host platforms cannot directly manipulate how the domain host interprets DNS record data or how quickly this data is updated. They simply “provide the directions,” whereas the domain host “writes the directions down.” The website host cannot resolve issues dealing with DNS downtime, either.

If your domain host is experiencing issues that are affecting your website’s uptime, you will need to contact the domain host’s support team for assistance.

Now that we have some common terms defined, we can proceed to the process of making changes to your DNS records.