DNS (Domain Name System) is an Internet service that translates domain names into their corresponding IP addresses. The translation task is performed by a Domain Name Server (DNS server). You can think of a DNS server as a phone book for the internet. A DNS server maintains a directory of domain names and the corresponding IP addresses.
When you buy a domain name, you might get tempted by the offer price like $0.99. But choosing a reliable DNS hosting provider is a very critical step for starting a website. If you select a slow DNS hosting provider, it will affect the performance of your website. DNS lookup time, Speed and redundancy of the website and even security might get affected by choosing a wrong provider. Using a fast DNS hosting provider ensures there is less latency between the DNS lookup and TTFB. DNS hosting providers also have multiple POPs like CDN (content delivery networks) which means there will be a DNS server closer to your visitor, decreasing the DNS lookup time.
But if you have already purchased your domain from a non-reliable DNS hosting provider, you should not be worried because Cloudflare’s free DNS Hosting will help you to improve DNS lookup and Time to First Byte time. Here are the steps to use Cloudflare’s free DNS hosting:
- Create a Cloudflare account and then log into your account.
- Click on “Add site” to add your website. It will pop up a window. Enter your domain name and click on the “Add site” button.
- When it says, “We’re querying your DNS records”, click on “Next” button.
- Select the plan according to your budget. If you want to use a free plan, select it and click on the “Confirm Plan” button.
- On the next screen, it will show you the list of all your records e.g. A, MX, TXT. If you want to use only DNS service of Cloudflare, just click on all clouds and turn them grey.
- Click “Continue” to find your nameservers. Log into your DNS management account with your old provider and change the nameservers.
That’s all. You are all set to use Cloudflare’s DNS hosting. After a few hours, test your website at webpagetest.org to find your Time to First Byte score. Hopefully, it should be A 🙂