Domain Names, DNS & Subdomains

Past how DNS resolution actually works (Networking Fundamentals) and the record types themselves (System Design, AWS's Route 53) — the practical layer of actually owning and operating a domain: registrars, the apex-domain CNAME problem every platform solves differently, connecting a domain to a deployment platform, email deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and a real multi-platform domain architecture.

12 lessons

Study 24 cards for this domain

Beginner

Buying a domain: registrars, WHOIS privacy, and the TLD decisionBeginner3 min read·Not started Nameservers vs. DNS records: the two-step handoff everyone confusesBeginner2 min read·Not started Domain-based email, without ever running your own mail serverBeginner2 min read·Not started

Intermediate

The apex domain problem, and how every platform solves it differentlyIntermediate3 min read·Not started Connecting a domain to a deployment platform: the general workflowIntermediate3 min read·Not started Automatic HTTPS in practice, and wildcard certificatesIntermediate3 min read·Not started Subdomain strategy: www vs. apex, and wildcard subdomains for multi-tenancyIntermediate3 min read·Not started Domain transfers and registrar migration, without downtime or losing the domainIntermediate3 min read·Not started Troubleshooting DNS: a systematic checklist, not random guessingIntermediate3 min read·Not started

Advanced

Email deliverability: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, actually explainedAdvanced3 min read·Not started A realistic multi-platform domain architecture, assembled end to endAdvanced2 min read·Not started A domain-setup postmortem: "I pointed my domain at Vercel and email broke"Advanced3 min read·Not started