## Checking the result of DNS settings for your domain

```bash
dig @8.8.8.8 +trace shreshth.dev
```
An apex domain is a custom domain without a subdomain, e.g. `google.com`.

Whereas a subdomain is what you prepend to your domain, e.g. in `www.google.com`, `www` is the subdomain

Usually, your apex domain (shreshth.dev) has to point to an IP address and cannot point to another domain address. So in your DNS settings, an `A` record will have to be pointed to the IP of your hosting provider's load balancer. (TODO: add note about `ALIAS` records available with some providers)
This site's `A` name record:

```
shreshth.dev.		3600	IN	A	76.76.21.21
```


Any other subdomains can point to both IP addresses and non-IP addresses, i.e. other subdomains. `cat.example.com` can point to `www.catexample.com`, or to `76.76.21.93`.

This site's www subdomain CNAME record
```
www.shreshth.dev.	3600	IN	CNAME	next-blog-mu-three.vercel.app.
```

`IN` stands for internet


Julia Evans has a good [article](https://jvns.ca/blog/how-updating-dns-works/) that helps you understand how a DNS lookup works.

