DNS & Nameservice
The basis for global accessibility
With the help of DNS and name services, domain names are translated into IP addresses, making Internet services such as websites and the like accessible worldwide.
What is DNS?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phone book of the internet. It converts internet addresses such as www.denic.de into numbers, known as IP addresses, such as 192.0.2.122, which computers use to communicate with each other.
Thanks to DNS, you can easily enter domain names to access Internet services such as websites, email, online shops, streaming services, or social networks.
How does DNS work?
The Domain Name System is globally networked and decentralized—there is no single server that knows all names, but rather thousands that work together. This makes the system fast, secure, and fail-safe.
The DNS also contains other important information (DNS entries), such as:
- which server receives emails for a domain,
- which name servers belong to a domain,
- and which services are linked to the domain.
How name server resolution works
When a domain is newly registered, deleted, or transferred to another provider, DENIC immediately updates the central .de domain database. The data is encrypted and transmitted via secure VPN connections to name servers distributed around the world, where it is stored together with information about the assignment of domain names to IP addresses in the form of zone files.
All locations have an expandable (scalable) architecture with capacity reserves and are equipped with state-of-the-art hardware. A control structure operated centrally from Germany allows the name servers to be automatically reconfigured or new software versions to be put into operation within a short time. This enables an extremely fast and flexible response to errors or special security requirements.
The role of DENIC for .de domains
DENIC eG is responsible for ensuring that all domains with the country code .de are accessible at all times. To this end, it operates a global network of name servers that work around the clock to ensure that every .de domain functions reliably.
So when you enter a .de address or send an email to a .de address, DENIC works in the background to ensure that your request is forwarded to the right server at lightning speed.
Name server locations (Anycast cluster) for .de
The DENIC name servers are bundled into a total of 6 so-called Anycast-Clustern. The servers of each anycast cluster are distributed across several locations scattered around the world.
| Hostname | IP-Adresse | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| a.nic.de | 194.0.0.53 2001:678:2::53 | Johannesburg, Sydney, London, Wien, Santiago de Chile, Bejing, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Hongkong, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Miami, Los Angeles, Ashburn |
| f.nic.de | 81.91.164.5 2a02:568:0:2::53 | Amsterdam, Frankfurt am Main |
| l.de.net | 77.67.63.105 2001:668:1f:11::105 | London, Paris |
| n.de.net | 194.146.107.6 2001:67c:1011:1:0:0:0:53 | more than 70 additional locations worldwide |
| s.de.net | 195.243.137.26 2003:8:14::53 | Hamburg, München |
| z.nic.de | 194.246.96.1 2a02:568:fe02::de | Dubai, Sao Paulo, Bejing, Frankfurt, Marseille, Mumbai, Seoul, Mexico City, Warschau, Singapur, Miami, Los Angeles |
Two name server networks for double security
In order to further increase the availability and security of the .de zone, DENIC has also been using a second anycast network from a neutral third-party provider since 2012.
