The domain name system (DNS) is an internet technology service that allows a domain name to be translated into an Internet Protocol address (IP). A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember name that relates to an Internet address (IP). DNS handles the mapping between host names, which we humans find convenient (www.ukbss.com), and internet addresses which computers understand (192.168.98.2).

Time to live (TTL) is the amount of time (measured in seconds) that your DNS record is cached in resolving nameservers on the internet. If your IP is dynamic (changes often) or if you plan to move your computer to another IP, it is recommended to set your TTL to a lower value to minimize this cache time. Once your IP is on a static IP or after you have transferred your system to the new IP, it is recommended to switch your TTL to a higher value. The higher the TTL the faster the performance of DNS, as most machines will have the value cached for a longer period of time, which reduces lookups. However, a TTL that it too high often causes lengthy periods of downtime if your system ever needs to switch IPs. If your computer's IP is static, the recommended TTL values range from 12 hours (43200 seconds) to 24 hours (86400 seconds). If your computer uses a dynamic IP, it's recommended that you set your TTL between 5 and 120 seconds.

Civic DNS has full IPv6 support. IPv6 addresses are available for our nameservers and we also support the addition of AAAA records within our web interface.

Civic DNS provides DNSSEC support for enterprise-level memberships using our primary managed DNS service. We also support DNSSEC for all clients using our secondary DNS service.

All domains that have over 100 resource records must use IXFR for zone updates. Domain and DNS query quotas are subject to the quotas of your DNS Hosting Plan.