How DNS Works With Hosted Apps

What I Learned

• - A records, CNAME records, and alias records point traffic to different kinds of targets.
• - Hosted apps often use DNS with HTTPS certificates, CDNs, and load balancers.
• - DNS changes can take time to propagate because records are cached using TTL values.

Why It Matters

If DNS is wrong, users cannot reach the app even when the server, bucket, or load balancer is working correctly.

Mistakes and Challenges

• - I confused where the domain is registered with where DNS records are managed.
• - I had to trace the full path from browser to DNS record to hosting target.

What I Built/Tested

• - Drew a request flow for a domain pointing to a hosted cloud app.
• - Compared DNS targets for EC2, CloudFront, and load balancers.
• - Checked how HTTPS certificates fit into the hosting flow.