What Is a Domain Name Server?

We all know that when we buy a domain name from an ideal domain and hosting provider, it represents a unique and distinctive brand identity that allows users to access website URLs over the internet.

But in this vast heart of this digital universe, a mystical entity lies, which we know as the Domain Name Server (DNS).

The DNS is like a mapmaker, which tirelessly charts the paths between the Domain Names of billions of websites (In 2023, 1.13 billion websites online) and their corresponding numerical IP addresses. 

In short, the DNS works like an ultimate guide of data, which helps us to navigate the endless sea of online content. 

Let’s learn more about a domain name server, its different terms, and how DNS works.

What is a Domain Name Server?

The domain name server is like a phone book directory for the internet, translating the human-readable domains into IP addresses like 27.124.125.143. An IP address is a distinctive identifier that is assigned to each device on the internet. 

And the fact is that domain names are easy to remember by visitors rather than numerical numbers or values. Therefore domain name server comes into play which works as a translator to help the computer finder connect the server to the hosting website you are trying to visit. 

What are the Different parts of the DNS System?

There are different terms attached to the DNS system, such as:

1. Root DNS Servers: A top-level DNS server contains information about all top-level dominant and their authoritative name servers.

2. Top-Level Domain (TLD) Servers: In simple terms, TLD includes domain extensions such as.com, .org, .net, and .edu for more. These are known as authoritative name server that stores information about specific TLDs.

3. Authoritative Name Servers: These are responsible for storing and providing authoritative information for a particular domain name.

4. Recursive DNS Servers: These servers act as an intermediary between clients and the authoritative name servers and help to resolve the domain name query.

5. DNS Resolvers: These software components or applications run on client devices and communicate with recursive DNS servers to resolve domain name queries.

6. DNS Cache: This is our temporary storage location used by DNS resolvers and recursive DNS servers to solve the currently resolved DNS query, which reduces query redundancy and improves overall performance.

7. DNS Records: These are the data structures DNS servers use to store information about the domain name, such as IP address, mail server and more. 

How Does DNS Work?

1. Suppose you enter the website URL of Australian domains, such as crazydomains.com.au, into your web browser.
2. Then the computer requests the DNS server to translate or convert the domain name into an IP address. 
3. The DNS resolver for the internet service provider forwards the request for crazydomains.com.au to a DNS root name server.
4. Then the name server looks in the crazydomains.com.au and gets the associated value, such as an IP address for a web server is 27.124.125.143 and returns the IP address to the DNS resolver.
5. The resolver comes with a value to the web browser and requests for crazydomains.com.au to the IP address it received from the DNS resolver. 
6. And then, the web server or other resources at 27.124.125.143 returns the web page for crazydomains.com.au to the web browser, which displays the page.

Conclusion

Whether you’re an IT expert, business owner, or casual internet user, understanding the concept of DNS is essential for all as it helps you navigate this online world and change  IP addresses without affecting your domain names.

Furthermore, it blocks access to certain websites or restricts access to specific users to ensure your security properly.