The Domain Name System (DNS) is the hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names (like google.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 142.250.80.46). When you type a URL into your browser, DNS servers resolve the domain name to the correct IP address, routing your request to the right server. DNS is fundamental to how the internet works and involves multiple layers: root servers, TLD servers, and authoritative nameservers.
FAQ
What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is the system that converts domain names like 'example.com' into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.
How does DNS affect website speed?
DNS lookup time is the first step in loading a website. Slow DNS resolution can add 20-120ms of latency. Using fast DNS providers like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) can improve load times.