how dns converts domain name into ip address
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The Domain Name System (DNS) converts domain names into IP addresses through a hierarchical and distributed system of servers. Here's an overview of the process:
DNS Query Initiation: When you enter a domain name into a web browser (e.g., "example.com"), your device needs to know the corresponding IP address to establish a connection. It starts by sending a DNS query to a DNS resolver.
DNS Resolver Lookup: The DNS resolver is typically provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or configured manually (e.g., Google's Public DNS, Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1). If the resolver has the requested domain's IP address cached from a previous lookup, it returns the IP address immediately. Otherwise, it proceeds to resolve the domain name.
Root DNS Servers: If the resolver doesn't have the IP address cached, it queries the root DNS servers. These servers are at the top of the DNS hierarchy and maintain information about the authoritative DNS servers for top-level domains (TLDs) like ".com", ".org", ".net", etc.
TLD DNS Servers: The root DNS servers direct the resolver to the appropriate TLD DNS servers responsible for the requested domain's extension (e.g., ".com" for "example.com"). The TLD servers provide information about the authoritative name servers for the domain.
Authoritative Name Servers: The resolver queries the authoritative name servers provided by the TLD servers. These authoritative servers store the DNS records for the domain, including the mapping of the domain name to its corresponding IP address.
Resource Record Lookup: The authoritative name servers respond to the resolver's query with the relevant DNS records, such as A records (IPv4 addresses) or AAAA records (IPv6 addresses), associated with the requested domain name.
DNS Response: The resolver receives the DNS response containing the IP address(es) associated with the domain name. It caches this information to speed up future lookups and returns the IP address to the requesting device.
Establishing Connection: With the IP address obtained from the DNS resolution process, the device can establish a connection to the web server associated with the domain name, allowing you to access the desired website or online service.
This entire process typically occurs behind the scenes and is transparent to the user, enabling seamless access to websites and services using human-readable domain names. DNS plays a critical role in facilitating communication across the internet by translating domain names into IP addresses and routing traffic accordingly.
