DNS zone – What does it mean?

The DNS is made up of numerous DNS zones. Moreover, the DNS server you’re using can better handle several zones to manage the DNS namespace. So, we can say that a DNS zone is a subset of the DNS namespace that a single administrator manages. It’s utilized as an organizational segment to provide you more control over DNS things like authoritative namespaces.

For your domain to function correctly, you must point it to various servers, including web servers, mail servers, etc. This is accomplished by adding multiple types of DNS records to the DNS zone. So, the DNS zone is where all Domain Name System records are stored. It is also the lone component responsible for the existence of the Domain Name System (DNS).

Why is DNS management so important?

Structure

The DNS zone holds all of the information about the DNS records. The basic structure contains the following elements:

• Domain name
• SOA record
• A record
• NS record
• MX record
• CNAME record
• TTL (Time-to-Live value)

DNS zone types

• The Primary (Master) DNS zone is where the domain name’s information is stored. The administrator has the critical ability to read and write instructions and administer the domain name in this zone. As a result, any essential changes and alterations to your Domain Name System data (records) should be made in this Primary (Master) zone. All updates or modifications will be propagated to the Secondary (Slave) DNS servers and the rest of the network.
• Secondary DNS zone. It is a simple read-only version of the Primary (Master) Domain Name System zone, and it contains all of the Domain Name System data (records) you created there. It is frequently referred to as a Slave or Backup zone. It’s important to remember that records like A or AAAA records, MX records, and so on can’t be created directly in the Secondary zone. Instead, it uses a mechanism known as Domain Name System zone transfer to obtain all of the data from the Primary.
• Reverse DNS zone – Like the Forward zone, the Reverse Domain Name System zone is an administrative part of the domain name space that stores records. It does, however, serve the opposite goal of linking IP addresses to their respective domain names. When you use Reverse DNS, it goes hand in hand. This zone is also limited, and only a few record types are available – PTR, SOA, and NS.

Why is it critical?

Thanks to the DNS zone, the entire Domain System namespace administration is more manageable and controllable. Furthermore, by splitting it down into little bits, the Domain Name System provides decentralization and organization. However, you must point your domain name to multiple servers, such as web servers, mail servers, etc., if you want it to perform correctly and accurately. Construct a Domain Name System zone and supply it with all of the different Domain Name System record types you’ll need.

Conclusion

To sum up, the DNS zone is where all critical DNS information is stored, which an administrator supervises. In addition, we distinguish three types of DNS zones – Primary, Secondary, and Reverse. So, without them, your Domain Name System will not be able to function.