From Code to Cinema: How I Helped Launch a Movie Website with DNS

Introduction

When my friend Robin Mathew mentioned he had an idea to build a movie website as a side project, I was immediately intrigued. I jumped in to share my ideas and see how I can contribute to the project.

While he started to work on the development by using the popular web development framework React , I started to search for an apt domain that I can use for this project. The site, aptly named cinema.fyi, was a sleek platform built using React, designed to showcase movie information utilizing the The Movie Database (TMDB) .

With a little know-how, I helped him set up the DNS records and get the site live. This article walks you through the process of configuring a domain name and setting up DNS—whether you’re launching a movie website or any other project.

What is DNS?

Think of DNS (Domain Name System) as the internet’s phonebook. Whenever you type in a website address like cinema.fyi, DNS helps your browser find the correct server, just like how you’d use a contact list to find a friend’s phone number. Instead of numbers, though, DNS links human-readable domain names (like cinema.fyi) to numerical IP addresses (e.g., 192.168.1.1). This way, users can access websites without memorizing long strings of numbers.

Why is DNS Important?

DNS plays a vital role in website accessibility and user experience:

• Accessibility: Without DNS, users would have to input IP addresses directly, making websites harder to reach.
• Performance: Well-configured DNS can improve load times and uptime, while poor DNS can lead to outages or delays.
• Branding: Custom domain names are key to branding and building trust.

How Does DNS Work?

Here’s a quick breakdown of the DNS lookup process:

1. User enters domain: You type cinema.fyi in your browser.
2. Browser sends request: The browser asks DNS servers for the corresponding IP address.
3. DNS lookup: The DNS servers search for the IP address linked to cinema.fyi.
4. Directing to the server: Once the IP is found, the browser connects to the web server hosting the site.
5. Website loads: The server responds, and the website content is displayed.

This whole process happens in a matter of milliseconds!

To read a detailed overview on the process by the market leader Infoblox on their website regarding this process head over to DNS - What is DNS? Learn How Domain Name System Works | Infoblox

My Contribution: Setting Up the DNS for Cinema.fyi

The challenge was straightforward: get the domain Cinema.fyi to point to the server where his site was hosted. Here's how I configured it:

Step-by-Step DNS Configuration

1. Purchase the domain: I purchased the domain from a registrar. A few well known examples are: name.com and Namecheap, Inc
2. Set up Nameservers: We logged into his domain registrar’s dashboard and updated the nameservers to point to his hosting provider. Nameservers essentially tell the world which DNS servers to use for this domain.
3. Add DNS records:

• A Record: I added an A record, which mapped Cinema.fyi to the IP address of the hosting server. This ensures that when someone types the domain, it directs them to the correct server.
• CNAME Record: For www.movie.fyi, I set up a CNAME record pointing it to movie.fyi. This is a convenience for users who might type the "www" version of the domain.

DNS changes take time to propagate across the web, so I used a DNS checker tool to ensure that the new settings were recognized globally. This actually takes time, so be patient.

After these steps, Cinema.fyi was live and ready for visitors!