So you keep hearing this word “domain name” and “DNS”, but what is it?

Each and every computer on the web is delegated a distinct address, called an Internet Protocol address. A traditional IP address resembles this: 199.123.456.7.

It is very difficult to remember the IP addresses of all the online sites we check out regularly. Words and phrases are much easier to recall than strings of numbers. This is where a domain name enters the picture. When you head to a website, all you need to know is its URL. Computer systems remember numbers, and domain name server (DNS) helps them convert the URL into an IP address that the computer can recognize.

So how does domain name convert to the IP thing?

When you key in domain.com into your browser, the browser first has to get the IP address of www.domain.com. The browser connects with a DNS server to query the location of the hosting server where the pages are stored. Imagine it as a directory service of IP address.

The traditional phone book directory example, you have to find the company “Millie’s’s Pizza Delivery”, you look in the directory and see that it is located on 123 Church Avenue. You go to the address to visit the store.