What is DNS? What Does it Do?

DNS, which stands for Domain Name System. When you perform a web search, it is this system that converts website names into IP addresses so your computer can understand the query. Often referred to as the phonebook of the internet, each DNS, like phone numbers, is unique and specific to its owner. Thanks to DNS, people don't need to memorize the numbers in IP addresses.

What is DNS?

DNS is the system that converts the domain names of websites into numerical values so they can be loaded onto your web browser. This is because machines do not understand site names the way humans do. People access websites through domain names like Techcareer.net. Web browsers interact with the server via Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. DNS converts these domain names into IP addresses, allowing browsers to load internet resources. If you're curious about the features of DNS, take a look at our list:

• DNS is a directory service that matches the name of a host on the network with its numerical address.
• The internet cannot function without DNS.
• Every website has a domain name. Each domain name consists of three parts: Inverse domain, Generic domains, and Country domains.

Every device connected to the internet has a unique IP address that other machines use to locate it. The DNS server, which works like a phonebook, enables people to access their desired device or website without having to memorize IP addresses that look like 123.123.1.1.

There are two types of DNS usage. The first is public DNS, where IP records are usually provided by internet service providers. These records are publicly accessible, regardless of the device or network used. Private DNS, often used by companies for security purposes, works with firewalls and differs from public DNS by only keeping records of internal sites. Private DNS only covers internal sites and services and cannot be accessed from outside the private network.

What Does DNS Do?

DNS is a vital system for internet operations, working alongside standards like TCP and technologies like LTE. Its primary benefits are as follows:

• DNS is the most crucial system that enables web browsing. Even though websites make up the entirety of the internet, each requires a DNS server address to load.
• DNS servers are the easiest way to convert domain names or subdomain names into IP addresses. Remembering the IP addresses of every website a person regularly visits would be very difficult.
• The domain name system makes it easier for search engines to archive and categorize data.
• All domain names introduced to search engines are converted into IP addresses. This means you don’t need to remember the exact name of a website.
• Thanks to DNS, search engines operate faster since they don’t need to track the IP addresses of websites. It’s enough for search engines to track the URLs of online pages.
• DNS servers also help secure home or workplace connections. Security-focused DNS servers often prevent attacks on server environments before access occurs.
• Domain name system servers respond to requests quickly. It takes only a second to convert an IP address.
• IP addresses may need to be changed from time to time for security and updates. DNS makes this process easier by regularly updating IP addresses.
• If any DNS server receives a large number of requests, new queries are sent to the nearest domain name system server. This means that servers handle load balancing, ensuring smooth operations without interruptions. At the same time, latency is kept in check.

It’s impossible to keep all domain names in a single directory in an internet where millions of domain names exist. In DNS, the directory is distributed globally, just like the internet connection itself. DNS uses domain name servers that regularly exchange information to provide updates and remove duplicate websites. Moreover, improving internet performance is one of the most important benefits of the distributed DNS system.

How Does DNS Work?

A DNS server contains a database of public IP addresses and their associated hostnames. It is a computer server that, in most cases, allows these names to be translated into IP addresses as requested. DNS servers run specialized software and communicate with each other through specific protocols.

When you type a website address into the browser's address bar, the DNS server locates the address you want to visit. The DNS query is sent to several servers, each responsible for translating a different part of the domain name you entered. These queried servers are as follows:

• DNS Resolver: Receives the request to resolve the domain name into an IP address. This server does the hard work of figuring out where the site you want to visit is located on the internet.
• Root Server: The root server receives the first request. It sends a result to the top-level domain (TLD) that holds information about the site the DNS resolver is storing. The top-level domain is the .com or .net part of the name you entered into the address bar.
• TLD Server: The DNS resolver then queries the TLD, and the results are sent to the authoritative name server.
• Authoritative Name Server: Finally, the DNS resolver queries this server to learn the actual IP address of the website you are trying to open.

Once the IP address is resolved, the website you requested is displayed in your browser. While this process may seem lengthy, everything happens very quickly. Thanks to this system, you can reach the site you want to visit in seconds.

The process described above occurs when you visit a site for the first time. If you revisit the same site without clearing your browser’s cache, these steps do not need to be repeated. Instead, your browser retrieves the information from the cache, allowing for faster browsing. This is why clearing your browser cache may temporarily increase the time it takes to access your favorite websites.

Caching is done to temporarily store data in a location to improve the performance and reliability of data requests. DNS caching involves storing the data requested by the client, so the DNS query can be resolved earlier. Additionally, further queries in the later stages of the DNS lookup chain can be avoided. Load times can be improved, and CPU consumption reduced.

Though DNS generally works seamlessly, issues can arise in some cases. For example, if the servers of the website you’re trying to reach change, even the cached address may fail to load. In such cases, you can clear your DNS cache to start from scratch. This will prompt your computer to search for the data again from the DNS server. You can do this in Windows using “Command Prompt” or in macOS using “Terminal.” If the problem lies with the server itself, you can optimize your web settings and speed up the process by going into network settings and changing your IP address.

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