522 Cloudflare Error: How Bluesky Helped Me Learn About DNS records
Musa Badru
Navigating the DNS Maze: Lessons from a Developer’s Journey
As developers, we’re often thrown into unexpected troubleshooting adventures that teach us more than we bargained for. This story begins with my decision to join BlueSky, a rising social media app, where users can connect their domain name to their username. A seemingly simple setup turned into an intricate web of DNS, hosting, and code mysteries.
The Initial Setup and the Unintended Crash
BlueSky’s domain-as-username feature was irresistible. To set it up, I needed to modify my domain’s DNS settings by adding a TXT record. It seemed straightforward until I visited my website and was greeted by a 522 Error—a Cloudflare code indicating a connection timeout.
At first, I assumed the problem was new, triggered by my recent DNS changes. But since my site had been somewhat neglected, I couldn’t rule out pre-existing issues. I rolled up my sleeves, determined to fix things quickly. Little did I know, I was embarking on a much longer journey.
Exploring Every Avenue
My website was hosted on Netlify, DNS was managed by Cloudflare, and the domain was registered through Namecheap. The complexity of this multi-layered setup made troubleshooting tricky.
I started with the obvious fixes:
- Switching hosting providers: I migrated from Netlify to Vercel, hoping a fresh start might resolve the issue.
- Updating website code: I combed through my codebase, updating dependencies and fixing minor bugs.
While these efforts improved some aspects, like preview builds working correctly, they did not resolve the DNS-related error.
The Real Culprit: DNS Misconfigurations
The breakthrough came when I revisited my DNS settings. My records were pointing to conflicting IP addresses: one for Netlify and another for Vercel. This mismatch caused a “Too Many Redirects” error.
To resolve this, I:
- Removed redundant and outdated DNS records, such as conflicting A and CNAME records.
- Updated all records to align with Vercel’s requirements.
Even after cleaning up the DNS settings, I had to wait for changes to propagate across the network—a process that tested my patience.
Key Takeaways from the Journey
-
DNS Management is Crucial:
Small changes in DNS settings can have far-reaching effects. Take the time to understand your configuration and ensure everything points to the correct services. -
Patience Pays Off:
DNS changes don’t take effect instantly. Propagation can take hours or even days, so give the system time before drawing conclusions. -
Simplify Where Possible:
Using multiple providers (like Cloudflare, Namecheap, Netlify, and Vercel) adds complexity. Consolidate services where it makes sense to reduce points of failure. -
Every Problem is a Learning Opportunity:
While frustrating, this experience deepened my understanding of DNS, hosting, and the interconnected nature of web infrastructure.
Wrapping It Up
What began as a quick setup for a social media feature turned into a valuable lesson in resilience and technical problem-solving. Challenges like these remind us that as developers, the skills we build in troubleshooting are just as important as the projects we create.
Whether you’re dealing with DNS records or debugging npm dependencies, remember: every obstacle is a chance to grow. And sometimes, the hardest-fought solutions bring the most unexpected rewards.
Resources
- Bluesky domain registration
- What is DNS?
- Cloudflare Error 522
- How DNS works
- Too Many Redirects Error
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