difference between route 53 underground queries and standard queries

The Amazon Route 53 service is a scalable and highly available Domain Name System (DNS) web service. It is designed to give developers and businesses the ability to route end users to Internet applications, such as web applications, with high availability and scalability. Route 53 offers various types of DNS queries, including standard queries and underground queries. This article aims to highlight the difference between these two types of queries and understand their implications in different scenarios.

Standard queries are the most common type of DNS queries made by clients to resolve domain names to IP addresses. These queries are sent to the public DNS infrastructure, which includes the 13 root servers and the authoritative name servers for the domain. The standard query process involves the following steps:

1. The client sends a DNS query to the local DNS resolver (usually provided by the Internet Service Provider).
2. The local DNS resolver checks its cache for the requested domain name.
3. If the domain name is not found in the cache, the local DNS resolver forwards the query to the root server.
4. The root server responds with the IP address of the authoritative name server for the domain.
5. The local DNS resolver then sends the query to the authoritative name server.
6. The authoritative name server responds with the IP address of the requested domain name.
7. The local DNS resolver caches the response and sends it back to the client.

Underground queries, on the other hand, are a more specialized type of DNS query that are designed to provide enhanced security and privacy for certain types of applications. These queries are sent to a private, secure DNS infrastructure that is not accessible to the public. The underground query process involves the following steps:

1. The client sends a DNS query to a private DNS resolver.
2. The private DNS resolver checks its cache for the requested domain name.
3. If the domain name is not found in the cache, the private DNS resolver forwards the query to the underground DNS infrastructure.
4. The underground DNS infrastructure responds with the IP address of the requested domain name.
5. The private DNS resolver caches the response and sends it back to the client.

The main difference between route 53 underground queries and standard queries lies in the security and privacy aspects. Standard queries are exposed to the public DNS infrastructure, which can make them vulnerable to various types of attacks, such as DNS spoofing and cache poisoning. Underground queries, on the other hand, are sent to a private, secure DNS infrastructure that is not accessible to the public, which provides enhanced security and privacy.

Another key difference is the performance. Standard queries are subject to the performance of the public DNS infrastructure, which can be affected by various factors, such as network congestion and server outages. Underground queries, on the other hand, are sent to a private, secure DNS infrastructure that is designed to provide high performance and reliability.

In conclusion, the main difference between route 53 underground queries and standard queries lies in the security and privacy aspects. Underground queries provide enhanced security and privacy for certain types of applications, while standard queries are more commonly used for general DNS resolution. Depending on the specific requirements of an application, developers and businesses can choose the appropriate type of DNS query to ensure high availability, scalability, and security.