Technology
How does DNS work?
DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet's phone book. When you type a website name, DNS looks up the numeric IP address behind it so your device can connect. It translates human-friendly names like knowit.guru into the addresses computers use.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how DNS works.
Step by step
- 1It translates domain names into IP addresses.
- 2It's often called the internet's phone book.
- 3Your request passes through DNS servers to find the address.
- 4Results are cached to speed up future lookups.
Frequently asked questions
- How does DNS work?
- It looks up the IP address behind a domain name so your device can connect to the right server.
- What does DNS stand for?
- Domain Name System.
- Why is DNS like a phone book?
- It maps easy-to-remember names to the numeric addresses computers actually use to find each other.