Domains fail quietly.
One day your site stops resolving or your emails bounce. You find out weeks later.
Monitoring DNS and domain health is cheap insurance.
Know What You Have
List:
- All domains you own
- Registrars and expiry dates
- Nameservers and DNS records
A central list saves panic later.
Automate Expiry Checks
Don’t rely on registrar emails:
- Use WHOIS lookup scripts to check expiry dates
- Schedule reminders 30–60 days before renewal
- Verify payment details in advance
Domain squatters love owners who forget.
Watch DNS Records
Silent failure is common:
- SPF/DKIM/DMARC records vanish or misconfigure
- A mistyped A record kills a site
- Registrar migrations break delegation
Monitor with scripts or cheap external services:
- Check that expected records resolve
- Send a test email to confirm deliverability
- Log anomalies loudly
External Uptime Helps
Combine DNS checks with uptime monitors:
- Confirms resolution from outside your network
- Detects propagation issues before users complain
A failing nameserver looks the same as a downed server to most users.
Keep It Boring and Visible
DNS is infrastructure glue.
When it fails, everything fails.
A little visibility keeps you ahead of silent rot.
Own the records; don’t let them own you.