What is a DNS Cache?

A Domain Name Server cache (sometimes called a DNS resolver cache) is a temporary database, maintained by a computer’s operating system, that contains records of all the recent visits and attempted visits to websites and other internet domains.

In other words, a DNS cache is just a memory of recent DNS lookups that your computer can quickly refer to when it’s trying to figure out how to load a website.

Most people only hear the phrase “DNS cache” when it refers to flushing/clearing the DNS cache in order to help fix an internet connectivity issue.

Your DNS cache stores the locations (IP addresses) of web servers that contain web pages which you have recently viewed. If there are changes in the location of the web server before the entry in your DNS cache updates, you can no longer access the site.

You may need to clear your DNS cache if you encounter a large number of HTML 404 error codes,  After clearing your DNS cache, your system will query nameservers for the new DNS information.

Steps to clear your DNS cache

The old and inaccurate DNS information may result in 404 errors. The below steps can help to remove old and inaccurate DNS information.

Windows® 8

To clear your DNS cache in Windows 8 system, perform the following steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press Win+X to open the WinX Menu.
  2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

  3. Run the following command:

    ipconfig /flushdns

    If the command succeeds, the system returns the following message:

    Windows IP configuration successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

     

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DNS - Domain Name SystemSSH (Secure Shell)Terminal

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