The Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet’s “phonebook,” translating human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1) that computers use to locate and communicate with each other. When you type a URL into your browser, DNS servers, distributed worldwide, quickly resolve it by querying a hierarchical network of root servers, top-level domain (TLD) servers (e.g., .com), and authoritative name servers for the specific site.
DNS enables seamless web browsing, email delivery, and online services by caching results for speed and redundancy. It’s managed by organizations like ICANN, with security features like DNSSEC to prevent spoofing. In short, without DNS, navigating the internet would require memorizing numeric addresses ,making the web far less user-friendly.
