DNS Failover and Redundancy
If the single server your domain points at goes down, your site goes down with it. DNS failover and redundancy are techniques that keep you online by automatically directing traffic away from a failed server to a healthy one.
For sites where downtime is costly, building this resilience into your DNS is a worthwhile investment.
What Failover Does
A failover system continuously checks whether your server is responding. If it stops, the DNS is updated to send visitors to a backup instead, often within moments.
Layers of Redundancy
Resilience comes from removing single points of failure at several levels.
- Multiple name servers so DNS itself stays available.
- Health checks that detect a failed server quickly.
- A standby server ready to receive redirected traffic.
- Low TTLs so failover takes effect promptly.
Is It Right for You?
Full failover adds cost and complexity, so it is best suited to sites where even short outages have a real business impact. We help you judge whether the investment is justified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DNS failover the same as a backup?
No — failover keeps your site available, while a backup protects your data. Most sites need both for true resilience.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.