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Difference between Authoritative and Recursive DNS Queries

In DNS technology, there are two main types of queries - authoritative and recursive queries. The main difference between them lies in their purpose and process:

Authoritative DNS Queries:

An authoritative DNS query is a request for information sent to a DNS server that is responsible for a specific domain. This server has the official and up-to-date information about the domain and can directly provide the answer to the query without needing to refer to other servers. Authoritative DNS servers are responsible for maintaining the DNS records for a domain such as IP addresses, mail server information, and other DNS-related data.

Recursive DNS Queries:

A recursive DNS query is a request for information sent to a DNS server that may not have the requested information but can help in finding the answer by querying other DNS servers on behalf of the client. Recursive queries are typically initiated by client devices or resolver servers, and the DNS server that receives the query will recursively search for the requested information by contacting various DNS servers until it finds the authoritative server with the answer.

In summary, authoritative DNS queries directly request information from the server responsible for a specific domain, while recursive DNS queries involve multiple DNS servers in the process of finding the requested information.

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