When you type a website address into your browser, like www.example.com, your computer needs to know the location of the website’s server so it can load the website content. This is where the domain DNS (Domain Name System) comes into play.
DNS is a system that translates domain names into IP addresses. An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet. When you enter a domain name into your browser, the DNS server looks up the corresponding IP address and sends it back to your computer. Your computer then uses that IP address to connect to the website’s server and retrieve the website content.
The DNS system is hierarchical, meaning that it is organized into a tree-like structure with different levels of authority. At the top of the tree are the root servers, which are responsible for directing DNS queries to the appropriate top-level domain (TLD) servers. TLDs are the extensions at the end of a domain name, such as .com, .org, or .net. Each TLD has its own set of authoritative DNS servers that are responsible for storing the DNS records for all the domain names within that TLD.
Below the TLDs are the domain name registrars, which are companies that manage the registration of domain names. When you register a domain name, you provide the registrar with the DNS servers that will be authoritative for your domain. These DNS servers store the DNS records for your domain, including the IP address of your website’s server.
There are several types of DNS records that can be stored for a domain, including A records, which map a domain name to an IP address; MX records, which specify the mail servers for a domain; and CNAME records, which allow one domain name to be an alias for another domain name.
One important thing to note is that DNS records are cached, meaning that they are stored temporarily by DNS servers to improve performance. This means that when you update the DNS records for your domain, it may take some time for the changes to propagate to all the DNS servers around the world.
In conclusion, domain DNS is a crucial part of the internet infrastructure that allows domain names to be translated into IP addresses, enabling your computer to connect to websites and other online services. By understanding how DNS works, you can better manage your domain name and ensure that your website is accessible to everyone who wants to visit it
