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What is a DNS (Domain Name System) and how does it work?

product management Mar 30, 2023
Diagram showing how a browser requests a domain name, receives the IP address from the DNS server, and then communicates with the web server to load the requested website.

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What is a DNS (Domain Name System)?

The internet is made up of many interconnected computers and servers, and each of these devices has a unique numerical address called an IP address. For example, Google's main server's IP address is 172.217.6.174.

However, remembering and typing in these numerical IP addresses can be difficult and impractical for people. That's where domain names come in. Domain names are human-readable addresses that are easier to remember and use than IP addresses. For example, instead of typing 172.217.6.174 to visit Google's website, we can simply type google.com.

The domain name system (DNS) is the system that translates domain names into IP addresses. When you enter a domain name into your web browser, your computer sends a request to a DNS server, which looks up the IP address associated with that domain name. The DNS server then sends the IP address back to your computer, which uses it to connect to the appropriate server and load the website.


 

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