Today we are looking again at the critical internet function of DNS. The topic of DDNS is important for not only protection, but also redundancy and failover safety. So, what is Dynamic DNS?
Dynamic DNS is defined as automatically updating a name server with hostnames and addresses in real time. Essentially, the record updating is more automatic and requires little intervention from a person because the updating is done via the configuration of DDNS.
Other than the convenience of DDNS, it is great for assets that may not have a static IP address. This can even be a website domain if it is desired by the administrator to not use a static IP address. If that option is chosen, DDNS is almost required because otherwise the record would have to be manually updated every time the site began a new session, such as after a restart or other planned downtime.
DDNS Benefits
DDNS has several benefits. One of the most prominent advantages is the simplicity of the configuration. When your domain is assigned an IP address, the DNS server will be updated with the mapping of your new IP to your domain, so you will not see an interruption in service or have to make any manual changes for it to continue to function.
Enterprise environments use DDNS for their endpoint computers to simplify the assigning/tracking of IP addresses to endpoint hostnames. This can lower the workload of their networking team immensely.
Still, it is not very common for a service like a website to use DDNS.
Conclusion
Check out our other DNS posts for more information on the bigger picture of an important internet function!