Welcome to our DNS Interview Questions and Answers
Welcome to our comprehensive collection of DNS interview questions and answers. Whether you are preparing for a job interview or simply looking to expand your knowledge, you’ll find valuable insights and explanations here. Explore our well-curated content and ace your DNS interview with confidence!
Top 20 Basic DNS interview questions and answers
1. What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a hierarchical decentralized naming system used to associate domain names with IP addresses.
2. How does DNS work?
DNS works by translating human-readable domain names into their corresponding IP addresses. When a user requests a website, the DNS server looks up the IP address associated with the domain name and then directs the user to the requested site.
3. What is an IP address?
An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network. It is used to identify and locate devices on the network.
4. What is a domain name?
A domain name is a human-readable label assigned to a website or a network. It is easier to remember for users as compared to IP addresses.
5. What is the purpose of a DNS server?
The DNS server is responsible for managing a database of domain names and their associated IP addresses. It translates domain names into IP addresses and vice versa.
6. What is a TLD?
TLD stands for Top-Level Domain. It is the last part of a domain name, such as .com, .net, or .org.
7. What is a TTL?
TTL stands for Time to Live. It refers to the time period for which DNS records are cached by DNS resolvers before they have to be refreshed from the authoritative DNS server.
8. What is an authoritative DNS server?
An authoritative DNS server is a server that contains the original and accurate DNS records for a specific domain.
9. What is a recursive DNS query?
A recursive DNS query is a type of DNS query where the DNS resolver queries multiple DNS servers in order to get the final answer.
10. What is a forward DNS lookup?
A forward DNS lookup is the process of resolving a domain name to an IP address.
11. What is a reverse DNS lookup?
A reverse DNS lookup is the process of resolving an IP address to a domain name.
12. What is a DNS cache?
A DNS cache is a temporary storage location on a computer or network that contains recently accessed or frequently accessed DNS records. It helps in speeding up subsequent DNS queries.
13. What is DNS propagation?
DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes (such as updating DNS records) to be propagated and reflected across the DNS network.
14. What is the difference between DNS and DHCP?
DNS is a naming system that translates domain names into IP addresses, while DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a network management protocol used to automatically assign IP addresses to devices.
15. What is DNSSEC?
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) is a set of extensions to DNS that provide authentication and integrity to DNS records. It helps in preventing DNS spoofing and other forms of DNS attacks.
16. What are the types of DNS records?
The types of DNS records include A record, CNAME record, MX record, TXT record, NS record, SOA record, and PTR record.
17. What is a CNAME record?
A CNAME record (Canonical Name record) is a type of DNS record that maps an alias name to the canonical (true) domain name.
18. What is an A record?
An A record (Address record) is a type of DNS record that maps a domain name to its corresponding IP address.
19. How does DNS load balancing work?
DNS load balancing works by distributing client requests across multiple servers to improve performance and avoid overloading a single server. This is done by returning different IP addresses for the same domain name at different times.
20. What is an SRV record?
An SRV record (Service record) is a type of DNS record used to define the location (host and port number) of specific services, such as email servers, VoIP servers, or other services associated with a domain.
Top 20 Advanced DNS Interview Questions and Answers
Q1: What is DNS and what is its purpose?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. Its purpose is to translate user-friendly domain names into IP addresses that computers use to communicate with each other over a network.
Q2: What are the different types of DNS records?
Some common types of DNS records include A records, CNAME records, MX records, TXT records, and NS records.
Q3: What is the TTL (Time to Live) in DNS?
TTL is the time duration for which a DNS record is cached by resolvers and other DNS servers before it needs to be refreshed from the authoritative DNS server. It helps in DNS caching and reduces the load on DNS servers.
Q4: What is a recursive DNS query?
A recursive DNS query is a query in which a resolver requests information from other DNS servers until it receives the final answer or reaches a DNS server that provides the authoritative answer.
Q5: What is a forward DNS lookup?
Forward DNS lookup involves resolving a domain name to its corresponding IP address.
Q6: What is a reverse DNS lookup?
Reverse DNS lookup involves resolving an IP address to its corresponding domain name.
Q7: What is DNSSEC? Why is it important?
DNSSEC stands for Domain Name System Security Extensions. It adds an extra layer of security to the DNS by providing data integrity and authentication of DNS records. It prevents DNS spoofing and other types of DNS attacks.
Q8: What is the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS servers?
Authoritative DNS servers store the authoritative DNS records for a particular domain, while recursive DNS servers fetch DNS information from authoritative servers and provide the answers to client queries.
Q9: What is the purpose of a root DNS server?
Root DNS servers are responsible for providing the IP addresses of the top-level domain (TLD) name servers. They play a crucial role in the DNS hierarchy.
Q10: How does DNS load balancing work?
DNS load balancing distributes traffic across multiple servers by returning different IP addresses to clients in a round-robin fashion.
Q11: What is DNS caching?
DNS caching is the process of storing previously resolved DNS lookups to speed up subsequent queries by reducing the need for repeated querying of authoritative DNS servers.
Q12: What is a DNS zone transfer?
DNS zone transfer is the process of replicating the DNS database (zone) from the primary DNS server to secondary DNS servers.
Q13: What is the purpose of an SOA record in DNS?
SOA (Start of Authority) record provides information about the authoritative DNS server for a specific domain. It includes details like the primary name server, responsible person’s email address, serial number, and other important parameters.
Q14: What is the difference between UDP and TCP in DNS?
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is used for traditional DNS queries, while TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is used when the response data exceeds the maximum size that can be handled by a single UDP packet.
Q15: How does DNS round-robin work?
DNS round-robin is a technique where multiple IP addresses are associated with a single domain name, and the DNS server rotates the order in which these IP addresses are returned in the DNS responses, distributing the load across multiple servers.
Q16: What is an Anycast DNS server?
Anycast DNS server is a network of servers that share the same IP address and are geographically distributed. It allows DNS queries to be sent to the closest server in terms of network latency.
Q17: How do you troubleshoot DNS-related issues?
DNS-related issues can be troubleshooted by checking DNS server configurations, DNS cache, network connectivity, DNS records, and by using tools like nslookup, dig, and tcpdump.
Q18: What is DNS hijacking?
DNS hijacking is a malicious attack where the attacker redirects DNS queries to a different IP address, resulting in users being directed to a fake website or intercepted by the attacker.
Q19: How does DNS Propagation work?
DNS propagation refers to the time it takes for DNS changes to be propagated and updated across the DNS system worldwide. During this time, DNS records are gradually updated and cached by DNS servers throughout the network.
Q20: What are the advantages of using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) in DNS?
CDNs improve website performance by caching and delivering content from the server closest to the end user’s location. This reduces latency, improves page load times, and provides a better user experience.
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