What Is DNS ?

What are DNS servers?

In short, DNS is a system that converts website URLs into IP addresses. Without DNS, you have to type in the complete IP Address when you want to visit

a website.

If you're curious about a more complete explanation, don't leave this article. Because here, we will explain in full the meaning of DNS and its functions, the parts of DNS, how DNS works, and how to set up DNS domains.

What is DNS?

Domain Name Server or DNS is a system that connects Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with Internet Protocol Address (IP Address).

Normally, to access the internet, you need to type in the IP Address of a website. This method is quite inconvenient. Because, this means, you need to have a complete list of IP addresses of websites you visit and enter them manually.

DNS is the system that summarizes this work for you. Now, all you have to do is remember the domain name and enter it in the address bar. DNS will then translate the domain into an IP address that the computer understands.

For example, you want to access Google. Instead of writing 172.217.0.142 into the address bar, you just enter the address Google.com.

Also Read: Understanding and How DNSSEC Works

DNS function

From the explanation of what DNS is, you can already guess how DNS actually works. However, to make it clearer, here we describe the three functions of DNS:

Request information on the IP Address of a website based on the domain name;
Request URL information of a website based on the IP Address entered;
Looking for the right server to send email.
Those are the three DNS functions that work automatically when you are accessing the internet.

Well, before going into the explanation of how DNS works, you certainly ask why you have to use DNS?

Advantages of DNS

The following are some of the benefits of using DNS in internet activities:

Easier to Surf the Internet. Compared to remembering a row of IP address numbers, of course it will be more convenient to remember the name of the website. The presence of DNS has succeeded in bridging communication between internet users and computers.
More Consistent in Use. You can use the same DNS name even if there is a change in the IP Address used. Thus, visitor access to one website can still be carried out even though there has been a change in the IP address.
Easier to Configure. When there is a problem with the IP Address being used, you can easily replace it with a different IP. It is enough to update the DNS and IP Address matching data. This will be explained further in How DNS Works.
Safer. When using a DNS system, all online data transfer activities go through a gated DNS server. The system will prevent hacking attempts by irresponsible parties. So, the website will be more secure.
Now that we know the advantages, let's learn more about the parts of DNS.

DNS Parts

The basic principle of how DNS works is by matching the URL component name with the IP Address component. Each URL and IP Address has parts that explain each other.

If you're having a hard time imagining the technicalities, think of it like looking for a book in a library. When you search for a book in the library, you will usually be given a code that describes where the book is.

The library book code is named the Dewey Decimal System (DDS). Usually it consists of the book's topic code, the author's last name code, and the code for the year the book was published.

Approximately the same principle is applied in DNS. To understand it more deeply, you need to know the parts of a URL that are arranged in the DNS hierarchy. Just like a library book code, each section describes a domain section.

One notable difference is that the library code starts at the front. On the other hand, the code that applies to DNS is backwards-ordered. Therefore, we will trace these parts of DNS backwards.