What is DNS? The Backbone of the Internet Explained

The Domain Name System, or DNS, is often described as the internet’s address book. When you type a website address (like www.example.com) into your browser, DNS works behind the scenes to translate that address into a series of numbers, known as an IP address, which computers use to identify each other. Without DNS, browsing the internet would be a lot harder, requiring users to memorize long strings of numbers for each website. In this guide, we’ll explore how DNS works, why it’s essential, and how it helps keep the internet running smoothly.

How Does DNS Work?

DNS operates in the background whenever you type a website address into your browser. The process starts when you enter a URL, which triggers a sequence of lookups through DNS servers to find the correct IP address associated with that domain. Here’s a simplified version of the steps involved:

1. DNS Query: Your browser first checks its cache to see if it has the IP address for the domain already stored. If not, it sends a query to a DNS resolver.

2. Recursive Resolver: The resolver is a DNS server that receives the request and begins looking for the IP address by checking other DNS servers if needed.

3. Root DNS Server: The resolver contacts a root DNS server, which directs it to a…