What is DNS?

A hierarchical distributed naming system that translates domain names to IP addresses.

Detailed Explanation

DNS acts as the internet's phone book, converting human-readable domain names (like example.com) into IP addresses that computers use to communicate. It operates in a hierarchical structure from root servers down through top-level domains (.com, .org) to authoritative nameservers for specific domains. DNS uses caching to improve performance and reduce lookup times.

Examples

  • google.com resolves to 142.250.185.46
  • Typing a URL in your browser triggers a DNS lookup
  • Email servers use MX records from DNS to route messages

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