DNS translates domain names into IP addresses. It is a network of servers that communicate to find the appropriate IP address. DNS servers can also contain information about other online servers, such as mail servers. Users can bypass DNS by typing the IP address directly.
A Domain Name System (DNS) is a service that translates a domain, or website address, into an Internet Protocol (IP) number. Internet DNS is a network of different servers that go through the list of IP addresses until one server knows where the IP address goes. This feature is included in most major Internet programs, because it is usually easier for people to remember words instead of a string of numbers. While Internet DNS is commonly used for website addresses, DNS servers can also contain the information of various online servers, such as mail servers.
When someone goes online, they usually log on to a website by typing the domain name or website address; the domain is commonly one word, multiple words, or words with some numbers. These domains do not describe where information is included on the Internet. Instead, they point to IP addresses and DNS. The Internet must find the connection between domains and associated IP addresses to take the user to the right website. Unlike domains, IP addresses describe the actual location of the domain on the server.
The Internet DNS network functions as a separate network that most people require. When the user types in a domain, DNS accepts this request to find the appropriate IP address. This is a network, so DNS servers typically communicate. This is advantageous, because if a server doesn’t know the appropriate IP address, the request will continue to branch until a server that does know is found.
Although the Internet DNS works as a separate unit, it is included in most major Internet programs. At the same time, a user can bypass this system at any time. To do this, the user simply needs to type the IP address instead of the domain name and it will take the user to the correct website. This may make the website load faster, but the user will usually need a domain to IP converter to know the correct IP address.
Internet DNS servers are mainly used for domain names, but they also contain other information relevant to the Internet. For example, many websites and businesses have a mail server that may not be open to the public. DNS servers look for this information and mostly contain the information of private servers operating online. If the DNS servers are unaware of an external server, the user will not have a domain for the server, just an IP address.
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