Backup DNS is an interesting and popular term, but it can represent two completely different things. One involves creating regular backups of your DNS data, ensuring you can restore configurations quickly. The other, also known as Secondary DNS, ensures continuous service by using additional DNS servers to handle requests if the primary DNS server fails. In today’s article, we will dive deep and explain both aspects of Backup DNS in detail. 

DNS explanation

DNS or Domain Name System is the backbone of the internet. It connects all the users to the content they need. That means it is a directory service which converts human-readable domain names into numerical IP addresses. It is a constant exchange of information.

Backup DNS for Data Protection (DNS Restore)

Backup DNS automatically creates backups every day, keeping all your DNS zones and settings safe. With ClouDNS’s Backup DNS, these backups stick around for 30 days, giving you a complete month-long record of your DNS configurations. 

Imagine if something goes wrong and you accidentally change or lose your data. With Backup DNS, you can swiftly restore your DNS settings to how they were before. This minimizes any downtime and keeps your online presence running smoothly without interruption.

How does Backup DNS (DNS Restore) work?

Backup DNS operates in a pretty simple way. 

First, you have to make sure that you have activated your Backup DNS. From that moment it will take daily snapshots of your DNS data and settings, without you even lifting a finger. In addition, your backup DNS zones will be safely stored for up to 30 days, preserving a detailed history of all your DNS configurations.

Then, when you have to restore specific zones or settings you can directly achieve it through ClouDNS’s control panel. Just with a few clicks and you can restore your DNS to a previous state.

DNS Backup (DNS Restore) Advantages

Using Backup DNS for your online operations has numerous advantages, including the following:

• Easy to Use: Accessing and managing backup DNS zones is more convenient than ever though an user-friendly interface.
• Good Investment: Prolonged DNS failures can cause significant financial losses surpassing way more than the investment in preventive services.
• Fast Recovery: Easily restore your DNS settings from backups in case of data loss or accidental changes, minimizing downtime.
• Safe Testing Environment: Experiment with new settings confidently, knowing you can revert to previous configurations if needed.

Who can use Backup DNS?

Businesses of every size can benefit from Backup DNS. Whether you’re just starting out or running a well-established enterprise, this service ensures your DNS data is safely stored. Moreover, it’s designed to grow with your business and offers a user-friendly interface for easy management, making it accessible and valuable for anyone. Whether you’re worried about accidental changes or data loss, Backup DNS provides the assurance that your zones and settings are kept safe and you can revert to previous state any time.

Backup DNS for Redundancy and Availability (Secondary DNS/Slave DNS)

Backup DNS, also known as Secondary DNS or alternative DNS is a system of one or more DNS servers, who have a copy of the zone data (DNS records) of the Master (Primary) DNS server. It adds resilience, reducing the outage periods by answering requests even if the Master is down.

Secondary DNS services provide an additional measure of insurance against service outages. They allow a website to remain up and running even if the primary DNS fails, often by serving DNS requests from a different location. Additionally, Slave DNS may use the same protocols as primary servers, or be hosted in distributed cloud networks, which increases reliability and performance. 

How does Slave DNS work?

Backup DNS (Slave DNS) works through a few simple steps. Here are they:

1. First, when a user requests a website or application, the DNS query is sent to the primary DNS server. 
2. The primary DNS server then resolves the domain name to the corresponding IP address. But if the master DNS server is down, the request is rerouted to the backup DNS server. 
3. Then, the backup server resolves the domain name and returns the IP address to the requesting device, allowing access to the website or application.

Benefits of Backup DNS (Slave DNS)

Some of the main benefits of using Slave DNS are the following:

• Availability: Your website or application will remain up and running even if the primary DNS fails, by redirecting users to a different DNS server. 
• Protection: Businesses are better protected from malicious attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. To add another layer of protection, use DDoS Protected DNS services.
• Performance: Slave DNS services can also provide faster DNS lookup times, improved global content delivery, and seamless switching during server outages.
• Scalability: It is designed to scale with any increase in traffic. As your website or application grows, Backup DNS can help ensure that you don’t lose any traffic simply due to lack of capacity.
• Features: The services often come with built-in features such as failover capabilities, Anycast DNS, and more, which can all improve the overall performance and reliability of your website or application.

Who needs Slave DNS?

Slave DNS benefits any organization whose website or application is critical to its success, as it adds an extra layer of protection and reliability. Businesses with large amounts of online traffic, such as online retail, media, etc., need reliable Slave DNS to prevent service disruptions and lost revenue. Subjects to malicious attacks, such as governments, banks, healthcare institutions, also benefit from Slave DNS services, as these services can help prevent attackers from overwhelming their primary DNS server. Small businesses that are just starting and may not have the budget of large companies also benefit from this backup service. Why? Because this service is at an affordable price and ClouDNS offers a 30 day free trial for no cost testing. Check out our Secondary DNS service!

What is the worst that can happen? Dyn DNS attack of 2016

Just ask the Dyn DNS users who were victims of the massive DDoS attack of 2016. Many well-known websites and services were affected: Airbnb, Amazon, Twitter, BBC, CNN, Etsy, Github, PayPal, Spotify, and more. Their users were left without service for quite some time. The attackers created a massive amount of traffic that caused the victim’s system to get stuck and eventually crashed. They did that by using an enormous amount of botnets IoT devices (internet of things). There are plenty of connected devices with low protection that can be easily hijacked. The number of such IoT devices is rapidly growing, but their security level is not improving. This means we will have plenty of similar DDoS attacks in the future.

Conclusion

Understanding the two aspects of Backup DNS – regular data backups and Secondary DNS for redundancy – is essential for maintaining a reliable internet presence. Regular backups ensure quick recovery from data loss, while Secondary DNS provides continuous service if the primary server fails. By implementing both strategies, organizations can enhance their DNS resilience, ensuring data integrity and uninterrupted online services. Trusting these services is key to sustaining secure and reliable internet operations.

Vasilena Markova

Hello! My name is Vasilena Markova. I am a Marketing Specialist at ClouDNS. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics and am studying for my Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity Management. As a digital marketing enthusiast, I enjoy writing and expressing my interests. I am passionate about sharing knowledge, tips, and tricks to help others build a secure online presence. My absolute favorite thing to do is to travel and explore different cultures!