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What Is a Domain Name System (DNS)

Domain Name System (DNS) is used to translate a Domain Name into its corresponding IP Address. In simple terms, DNS is the way your browser knows where to take you when you're on the internet.

Table of Contents

  1. How DNS Works
  2. How Does DNS Affect My Site

How DNS Works

When you type a domain name into your browser, it doesn't instantly know where to take you. That's because computers only understand IP addresses. So, it has to make a request - to ask another computer (a DNS server) which IP address matches the domain name you just entered.

Often, if it's a site that gets looked up a lot, the server knows right away. The reason behind this is that each time it performs a DNS lookup, it saves the IP for a certain time in its own memory. This is called the cache which plays a signifact role in making DNS run smoothly.

Below is a simplified process of what a DNS does:

  1. The DNS server will look up and send to the nameservers that are associated with the Domain Name that you have entered in your browser.
  2. Your Hosting provider, which is in-charge of managing your nameservers, will then forward the nameserver request to the server where your website’s files are stored.
  3. The web server will then gather the requested information and send it back to the web browser to display your website.

As you can see, there are a lot of things undergone behind the scenes to make your domain work and display your website.

How Does DNS Affect My Site

Technical processes regarding DNS are all well and good, but what does it practically mean for the users? DNS has more important implications for our regular site owners.

First, having your DNS Records in order means that people will find your site or services much more reliable. If the records are all pointing to the right location, then your visitors will not have any network problems finding you.

Next is security. From Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks to cache poisoning, there are countless emerging ways on how malicious cyber attacks can be carried out on any website. For people who are worried about the security of their site, we at Crazy Domains offer quality DNS services for faster data speeds and a more secure protection.

Without a doubt, DNS is a vital tool in browsing the internet that requires to be steady and seamless as ever.

Learn more about our DNS offers, and get yourself the best DNS service there is. Don't hesitate to contact us for more details.

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