Back to Glossary

DNS

Domain Name System - the internet's phonebook that translates domain names to IP addresses.

What is DNS?

Computers find each other using IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1), but humans prefer memorable names (like google.com). DNS servers maintain a directory that translates domain names to IP addresses. When you type a URL, DNS finds the correct IP address so your browser can connect to the right server.

Example

When you type 'example.com' in your browser, DNS translates this to the IP address 93.184.216.34, which your browser uses to load the website.

Related Terms