What is DNS? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to communicate. DNS records include: A records (domain to IPv4 address), AAAA records (domain to IPv6), CNAME records (alias from one domain to another), MX records (email routing), and TXT records (verification and SPF/DKIM for email security).
Dns in the UK
DNS has specific UK business and compliance implications. Domain registration: .co.uk domains are managed by Nominet; .uk domains are available for UK entities. Email security: SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC records in DNS prevent email spoofing — important for UK GDPR PECR marketing email compliance and ICO guidance on email security. CDN configuration: many UK businesses use Cloudflare as a DNS provider (Cloudflare operates a UK legal entity) — CDN edge routing must be configured so personal data is not served from non-UK edge nodes.
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