Domain names, A records, DNS & co. – How do I put a website online?

It’s important to contact all involved parties ahead of a website launch to avoid any surprises when the site is ready to go live.

In some cases, this may include a hosting provider, a registrar, a DNS hosting provider, and an SSL certificate authority.

At Dream Production, we work with selected hosting providers, registrars, SSL certificate authorities, and DNS hosting providers, and handle the entire coordination of a website go-live on behalf of our clients.

Your website is fully developed, everything has been tested, and it’s working properly. The first step now is to upload your website’s files to a web server. For this, you’ll need a hosting provider.

The hosting provider supplies the storage space for your website on a web server. They manage the entire web server infrastructure—both hardware and software—and ensure that the website is accessible on the internet. One key aspect is that the web server must support all the technical requirements of the website. For example, a Drupal website should be hosted by a provider with relevant Drupal experience. Typically, the website’s developers know best what the hosting package needs to offer in order for the site to run reliably.

Once your website has been uploaded to a web server, it still won’t be accessible via a domain name. The site is technically online but only reachable through an IP address. So how can we ensure the website is available under a domain name?

On one hand, the web server must be configured to serve the website under the chosen domain. On the other hand, the domain’s DNS settings must also be correctly configured.

The Domain Name System (DNS) connects domain names to IP addresses. Here’s a simplified explanation of how it works:

Desktops, laptops, smartphones, and other internet-connected devices can only communicate using IP addresses (for example: 123.12.12.12). When you enter a website’s domain name (e.g. www.dreamproduction.com) into your browser, a lot happens behind the scenes before the correct website appears on your screen. Through a DNS lookup, the browser determines which IP address hosts the content of the requested website. The Domain Name System is made up of a vast network of globally distributed nameservers that communicate with each other and provide the information about which IP address corresponds to which domain.

Do you already know under which domain name your website should be accessible? Then the next step is to make sure the DNS configuration for that domain is correctly set up with your registrar.

The registrar manages domain names. It’s possible that the hosting provider also takes on the role of the registrar, or they may be two separate entities. A new domain name can also be registered with a registrar. The registrar specifies which nameservers are active for a domain. It’s also possible that the registrar provides its own nameservers, or the nameservers are operated independently by a DNS hosting provider.

A DNS hosting provider hosts and manages the Domain Name System (DNS) records for a domain. The DNS hosting provider can either be a separate entity or it can be handled by the registrar. The nameserver stores all DNS settings for a domain in what are known as zone files. A domain can have multiple nameservers.

You need to inform the DNS hosting provider about the IP address to which the domain name should point. This information is then stored in the DNS configuration in the form of A records (for IPv4) or AAAA records (for IPv6). Depending on the DNS hosting provider, you may be able to enter the A records or AAAA records yourself through an interface provided by the provider.

You will receive the IP address of the web server from your hosting provider.

Only entries made in the zone file of the nameserver that has the SOA (Start of Authority) for the domain are considered valid.

The A-Record is part of a domain’s DNS settings. It specifies the IP address to which a domain name (e.g., www.dreamproduction.com) points. An A-Record links a domain to an IPv4 address, while an AAAA-Record links a domain to an IPv6 address.

Once the correct IP address is set in the A-Records of the domain, entering the domain into the browser will lead to the new website. However, depending on the TTL (Time to Live) setting, it may take several days for the change to take effect. Therefore, it is important to discuss the current TTL for the domain with the DNS hosting provider and potentially lower it before going live to ensure the change is applied more quickly.

TTL (Time to Live) is the duration for which a DNS record is valid in a domain’s zone file. This is specified in seconds. For example, a TTL of 86400 seconds means that changes will only be valid after 24 hours. The shortest TTL allowed by standard protocols is 600 seconds.

Once the website files are uploaded to a web server, the web server is configured for the domain, and the DNS settings are correctly set for the domain, there is nothing more standing in the way of a successful website go-live.

SSL certificates (Secure Sockets Layer) are digital certificates that enable a secure, encrypted connection between a web browser and a web server. They ensure that data transferred between the user and the website is protected from third parties.

When a website has an SSL certificate, the connection is established using the HTTPS protocol (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). This is a secure extension of the standard HTTP protocol and ensures that sensitive information—such as passwords, credit card details, or personal data—cannot be intercepted by hackers.

An SSL certificate also verifies the identity of the website and is issued by trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs). In most browsers, a secure connection is indicated by a lock symbol in the address bar.

For website operators, an SSL certificate is not only crucial for security reasons, but it also helps build user trust and can positively impact SEO rankings on search engines like Google.