DNS
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet's phonebook, translating human-friendly website names like 'google.com' into the numerical IP addresses that computers use to find each other.
How it works
It works as a distributed directory service, where your device queries a series of servers to find the correct address for a domain. This system is fundamental because it allows users to access websites using easy-to-remember names instead of complex strings of numbers.
Examples
- 1.Typing 'www.wikipedia.org' into a browser, which DNS resolves to an IP address like 208.80.154.224
- 2.Sending an email, where DNS records (MX records) direct the message to the correct mail server
- 3.Using a cloud service like a SaaS application, where DNS directs your request to the nearest server cluster for faster performance