What Is DDNS (Dynamic DNS)?
DDNS (Dynamic DNS) is a service that automatically updates your domain's DNS records whenever your IP address changes. This is primarily useful when hosting services on a home or office internet connection where the ISP assigns a different IP address periodically.
Traditional DNS assumes a fixed IP address — you set the A record once and it stays put. But many internet connections use dynamic IP addressing, where the IP can change daily or after router restarts. DDNS solves this by running a small client on your network that detects IP changes and updates the DNS record automatically.
Popular DDNS providers include No-IP, DuckDNS, and Dynu. Many routers have built-in DDNS client support.
Why This Matters for Startups
Most startups won't need DDNS because modern cloud hosting (AWS, Google Cloud, Cloudflare) provides static IPs by default. DDNS is primarily relevant if you're running a development server, home lab, or self-hosted service on a residential internet connection during your early bootstrapping phase. Once you move to production hosting, standard DNS with static IPs is the way to go.
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