Help Center/ Domain Name Service/ Service Overview/ What Is DNS?
Updated on 2025-08-20 GMT+08:00
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What Is DNS?

Domain Name Service (DNS) is a highly available and scalable authoritative Domain Name System (DNS) web service that translates domain names (such as www.example.com) into IP addresses (such as 192.1.2.3) required for network connection. The DNS service allows end users to visit your websites or web applications using domain names.

The DNS service is free and is enabled by default.

Video

This video introduces the main functions of Huawei Cloud DNS Resolver and how to use DNS Resolver to set up hybrid cloud DNS.

Basic Functions

The DNS service provides the following functions:

  • Public DNS resolution

    Maps domain names to public IP addresses so that end users can access your website or web applications over the Internet.

  • Private DNS resolution

    Translates private domain names into private IP addresses to facilitate access to cloud resources within VPCs.

  • Reverse resolution

    Obtains a domain name based on an IP address. Reverse resolution, or reverse DNS lookup, is typically used to affirm the credibility of email servers.

  • Hybrid cloud resolution

    A DNS resolver allows on-premises data centers to access the DNS on the cloud or cloud servers to access on-premises service domain names, as well as deploys IP addresses in the network segment 100.x.x.x of the DNS service in the customer's VPC to prevent network segment conflicts on the hybrid cloud.

Product Advantages

The DNS service has the following advantages:

  • High performance

    A single DNS node can handle tens of millions of concurrent queries, allowing end users to access your website or application much faster.

  • Easy access to cloud resources

    Your ECSs can communicate with each other and with other resources within VPCs using private domain names. Traffic is kept within your internal network, which reduces network latency and improves security.

    For more details, see Configuring Private Domain Names for ECSs.

  • Smooth service migration

    You can transfer the record sets configured for an in-use website domain to the Huawei Cloud DNS service. You can create a public zone and add record sets on the DNS console before the migration. In this way, your website services are not interrupted during the migration.

  • Isolation of core data

    A private DNS server provides domain name resolution for ECSs carrying core data, enabling secure, controlled access to such data. You do not need to bind EIPs to these ECSs.

Accessing the DNS Service

The cloud platform provides a web-based management console as well as REST APIs through which you can access the DNS service.

  • Management console

    A web-based management console is provided for you to perform operations on the DNS service.

    • If you have registered an account, log in to the DNS console.
    • If you do not have an account, create one by following the instructions in Before You Start.

    With a few steps, you can start using the DNS service for domain name resolution.

  • APIs

    REST APIs are provided for accessing the DNS service. You can also use the provided APIs to integrate DNS into a third-party system for secondary development. For details, see the Domain Name Service API Reference.