What Is DNS and How Does It Work

Short answer

The Domain Name System translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to route traffic.

How it works

When you type a URL, your device queries a DNS resolver. If the resolver does not have the answer cached, it asks the root server, then the TLD server, and finally the authoritative name server for the domain.

Example

Typing google.com triggers a DNS lookup that returns 142.250.80.46. Your browser then connects to that IP address.

Why it matters

DNS is the phonebook of the internet. Without it, users would need to memorize numeric IP addresses. DNS also supports load balancing and content delivery through multiple records.