How to Set Up a New Domain with Route 53
By Abhinay Durishetty
6 mins read
Step 1: Sign In to AWS:
Log in to your AWS Management Console using your AWS account credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to Route 53 Dashboard:
From the AWS Management Console, locate the "Services" dropdown and select "Route 53."
Log in to your AWS Management Console using your AWS account credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to Route 53 Dashboard:
From the AWS Management Console, locate the "Services" dropdown and select "Route 53."
Step 3: Register or Transfer a Domain:
Click on "Registered domains" to register a new domain.
Enter the desired domain name for your website. You will receive a list of available domains with various top-level domain (TLD) options like .in, .com, .org, and more. It's possible that your preferred domain name or TLD has already been registered by someone else. In that case, you can select an available domain from the list and proceed to the next step.
Next, you will see the pricing for the selected domain. It's recommended to enable the Auto-renew option, as AWS will automatically renew your domain when it expires, and the renewal cost will be billed to your AWS account.
- Click the "Next" button to proceed, and you will be prompted to provide the necessary information. Choose the type of contact information that suits your requirements.
- After entering your information, click the "Next" button again to review all the details.
- Navigate to your billing dashboard to make the payment for purchasing the domain. When you purchase a domain through Route 53 in AWS, a hosted zone for the domain will be automatically created.
Step 4: Add DNS Records:
Inside the hosted zone, you can create various DNS records. Common ones include "A" records (to point to IP addresses) and "CNAME" records (to alias one domain name to another).
Step 5: Update Nameservers:
If you registered your domain outside AWS, update your domain's nameservers to the ones provided by Route 53 in your hosted zone.
Step 6: Health Checks (Optional):
Set up health checks to monitor the availability of your application. If the primary resource fails, Route 53 can reroute traffic based on these checks.
Step 7: Test Your Domain:
Type your domain into a web browser or use tools like nslookup to ensure it resolves correctly.
Step 8: DNS Record Types and Their Uses:
A Record (Address Record):
Purpose: Points a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address.
How It Works: When users access your domain, the A record directs them to the correct IP address.
Use Case: Mapping your domain like "example.com" to the IP address of your web server.
AAAA Record (Quad-A Record):
Purpose: Points a domain or subdomain to an IPv6 address.
How It Works: Similar to the A record, but for IPv6 addresses.
Use Case: Mapping your domain to the IPv6 address of your web server, especially important as IPv6 adoption grows.
CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record):
Purpose: Aliases one domain name to another.
How It Works: When users access a domain, the CNAME record redirects them to another domain.
Use Case: Pointing "www.example.com" to "example.com" or directing a subdomain to an external platform like "shop.example.com" to an e-commerce platform.
MX Record (Mail Exchange Record):
Purpose: Specifies the mail servers responsible for receiving email messages for a domain.
How It Works: Directs emails sent to your domain to the appropriate email servers.
Use Case: Setting up email services for your domain.
Inside the hosted zone, you can create various DNS records. Common ones include "A" records (to point to IP addresses) and "CNAME" records (to alias one domain name to another).
Step 5: Update Nameservers:
If you registered your domain outside AWS, update your domain's nameservers to the ones provided by Route 53 in your hosted zone.
Step 6: Health Checks (Optional):
Set up health checks to monitor the availability of your application. If the primary resource fails, Route 53 can reroute traffic based on these checks.
Step 7: Test Your Domain:
Type your domain into a web browser or use tools like nslookup to ensure it resolves correctly.
Step 8: DNS Record Types and Their Uses:
A Record (Address Record):
Purpose: Points a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address.
How It Works: When users access your domain, the A record directs them to the correct IP address.
Use Case: Mapping your domain like "example.com" to the IP address of your web server.
AAAA Record (Quad-A Record):
Purpose: Points a domain or subdomain to an IPv6 address.
How It Works: Similar to the A record, but for IPv6 addresses.
Use Case: Mapping your domain to the IPv6 address of your web server, especially important as IPv6 adoption grows.
CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record):
Purpose: Aliases one domain name to another.
How It Works: When users access a domain, the CNAME record redirects them to another domain.
Use Case: Pointing "www.example.com" to "example.com" or directing a subdomain to an external platform like "shop.example.com" to an e-commerce platform.
MX Record (Mail Exchange Record):
Purpose: Specifies the mail servers responsible for receiving email messages for a domain.
How It Works: Directs emails sent to your domain to the appropriate email servers.
Use Case: Setting up email services for your domain.
TXT Record (Text Record):
Purpose: Holds text information for sources outside your domain. Commonly used for verification purposes.
How It Works: Provides necessary data in text form, like SPF data for email authentication.
Use Case: Domain ownership verification, SPF records for email sender policy, etc.
NS Record (Name Server Record):
Purpose: Lists the name servers for a domain.
How It Works: Directs users to the specific servers that hold the DNS records for a domain.
Use Case: Delegating a subdomain to other DNS servers or setting the authoritative name servers for a domain.
SOA Record (Start of Authority Record):
Purpose: Provides information about the origin of the domain and its associated properties.
How It Works: Contains authoritative information about a DNS zone, including the primary name server, contact details, and various refresh intervals.
Use Case: Mainly used internally by DNS systems.
PTR Record (Pointer Record):
Purpose: Provides a reverse DNS lookup, mapping an IP address to a domain name.
How It Works: Used for reverse DNS lookups.
Use Case: Useful for network troubleshooting and verifying the IP address is associated with a particular domain.
SRV Record (Service Locator Record):
Purpose: Specifies the location of servers for specific services.
How It Works: Directs traffic to a specific port and IP address for particular services.
Use Case: Locating servers for services like SIP or IMAP.
CAA Record (Certification Authority Authorization):
Purpose: Specifies which certificate authorities are allowed to issue certificates for a domain.
How It Works: Helps in improving the security of the domain by preventing unauthorized issuance of certificates.
Use Case: Enhancing domain security by dictating who can issue SSL certificates for your domain.
Step 9: Updating DNS Records:
To update or add any of the above record types:
Navigate to your hosted zone in Route 53.
→ Click "Create Record."
→ Choose the desired record type and provide the necessary details.
→ Confirm the changes, and Route 53 will propagate them globally within minutes.
In essence, these DNS record types are the building blocks of how the internet functions, ensuring users and services can locate and connect with the correct servers and services seamlessly.
Purpose: Holds text information for sources outside your domain. Commonly used for verification purposes.
How It Works: Provides necessary data in text form, like SPF data for email authentication.
Use Case: Domain ownership verification, SPF records for email sender policy, etc.
NS Record (Name Server Record):
Purpose: Lists the name servers for a domain.
How It Works: Directs users to the specific servers that hold the DNS records for a domain.
Use Case: Delegating a subdomain to other DNS servers or setting the authoritative name servers for a domain.
SOA Record (Start of Authority Record):
Purpose: Provides information about the origin of the domain and its associated properties.
How It Works: Contains authoritative information about a DNS zone, including the primary name server, contact details, and various refresh intervals.
Use Case: Mainly used internally by DNS systems.
PTR Record (Pointer Record):
Purpose: Provides a reverse DNS lookup, mapping an IP address to a domain name.
How It Works: Used for reverse DNS lookups.
Use Case: Useful for network troubleshooting and verifying the IP address is associated with a particular domain.
SRV Record (Service Locator Record):
Purpose: Specifies the location of servers for specific services.
How It Works: Directs traffic to a specific port and IP address for particular services.
Use Case: Locating servers for services like SIP or IMAP.
CAA Record (Certification Authority Authorization):
Purpose: Specifies which certificate authorities are allowed to issue certificates for a domain.
How It Works: Helps in improving the security of the domain by preventing unauthorized issuance of certificates.
Use Case: Enhancing domain security by dictating who can issue SSL certificates for your domain.
Step 9: Updating DNS Records:
To update or add any of the above record types:
Navigate to your hosted zone in Route 53.
→ Click "Create Record."
→ Choose the desired record type and provide the necessary details.
→ Confirm the changes, and Route 53 will propagate them globally within minutes.
In essence, these DNS record types are the building blocks of how the internet functions, ensuring users and services can locate and connect with the correct servers and services seamlessly.