DNS (Domain Name Server)

The Internet: DNS (Domain Name Server)

1.3.1 Networks and topologies

Networks and topologies — Note 6 of 10

What you need to know

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable website addresses (URLs) into numerical IP addresses that computers use to find each other. It acts like a phone book for the Internet.

What to know

When you type a URL, your computer sends a request to a DNS server to find the corresponding IP address.
If the DNS server has the record, it returns the IP address. If not, it queries another DNS server — this repeats until the address is found.

Key terms

Exam tipCommon mistake

DNSDomain Name System: A system of servers that converts URLs (e.g. www.example.com) into IP addresses that computers can understand.
Exam tip: DNS is needed because humans find it easier to remember names (www.google.com) than IP addresses (142.250.187.46).
Common mistake: Saying DNS 'stores websites'. DNS only stores the MAPPING between domain names and IP addresses — it does not store web pages.

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