What Is DNS?
Understanding DNS: The Internet's Phone Book Explained
You might have heard the words "DNS" or "Domain Name System" somewhere, like in a YouTube video or in a random Wikihow article. But maybe you're not exactly sure about their meaning. In this article, we'll explain DNS in simple terms so you can understand it better.
1) Introduction to DNS:
DNS stands for Domain Name System, it is like the internet's phone book. Just like how we use names to find people in a phone book, DNS helps us find websites on the internet. When you connect to any website, for example duckduckgo.com, your browser needs to know the website's exact location on the internet. This is where DNS comes into play.
Instead of remembering complicated numbers (IP addresses) for each website, we simply type in the easy-to-recall domain names, like "duckduckgo.com," and DNS takes care of the rest. It's a vital system that allows us to access websites quickly and easily, making the internet more user-friendly and accessible to everyone.
2) How does DNS work?
As previously mentioned, when you want to visit a website, like "duckduckgo.com," your browser needs to find out where that website is located on the internet, here is how it does it using DNS:
You type "duckduckgo.com" into your browser's address bar and hit Enter.
Your browser realizes that it doesn't know the specific location of duckduckgo.com on the internet.
It sends a request to the DNS server you’re using (think of it as your digital phone book) and asks, "Hey, where can I find duckduckgo.com?"
The DNS server looks up its records and finds the IP address associated with "duckduckgo.com," which is a unique set of numbers identifying the website's location on the internet (it looks something like
176.34.131.233)The DNS server sends back the IP address to your browser.
Armed with the IP address, your browser can now connect to the website's server directly.
Your browser fetches the website's content from the server at the provided IP address.
Finally, you see the duckduckgo.com homepage in your browser, and you can start using the search engine.
This whole process happens within a fraction of a second, making it seamless for you to access websites without dealing with complex numbers or technical details. DNS quietly works behind the scenes, making sure that you never get lost on the internet!
3) DNS Extras:
While the main role of DNS is to guide you through the web, it also packs other cool functionalities, such as:
Changing Website Addresses: Just like how you might move to a new house but want your friends to find you easily, websites can also change their addresses. With DNS, they can tell everyone, "Hey, I'm now living at this new address!" So, even if you type the old address, DNS knows where to take you.
Finding the Names of Computers: You know how you can look up someone's name if you have their phone number? DNS can do the opposite! If you know the numbers of a computer (IP address), DNS can tell you its name.
Saving Time with Quick Memory: DNS has a superpower called caching, which means it remembers stuff it has looked up before. So, when you visit a website you've been to recently, DNS already knows the address, and you get there even faster.
Staying Safe Online using DNSSEC1: DNS can also help protect you online. It can block access to bad websites or things you shouldn't see, as well as shield against some cyber-attacks with DNSSEC, keeping you safe while you explore the internet.
— That’s it! You now know what a Domain Name System is, how it works, as well as some other extra things DNS helps with. Stay tuned for more posts and ShieldUp!
DNSSEC is a set of extensions to the DNS protocol that adds security measures to prevent cache poisoning attacks. It uses digital signatures to verify the authenticity and integrity of DNS data. DNSSEC operates through a hierarchical chain of trust, where each domain signs its DNS records with a private key and includes the corresponding public key. By validating DNS data with DNSSEC, resolvers can ensure the accuracy of domain-to-IP translations and enhance internet infrastructure security.