Adventures in Domain Name System (DNS)

 

Every computers are built to understand numbers and as human we don’t need to keeps numbers in other to communicate with computer.
Talking bout DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM

What is DNS?

Think of the Domain Name System (DNS) as the phonebook of the internet.
When you want to visit a website—like www.google.com—you type the name into your web browser. But computers don’t use names to find websites; they use numbers, called IP addresses (like 142.250.64.78). That’s how one computer finds another on the internet.
So, DNS is the system that translates the name you type (like google.com) into the actual IP address that your computer needs to find the website.

Real-World Example

Let’s say you want to call your friend “Emma.” You look up her name in your phone, and your phone knows Emma’s number and calls her.
DNS works the same way:
• You type www.example.com
• DNS finds the correct IP address for that name
• Your browser uses that IP to connect to the website

Why DNS Matters

• You don’t have to memorize long strings of numbers (IP addresses)
• It makes the internet much easier to use
• It’s used every time you go to a website, send an email, or use apps that access the internet

Domain Name is typically broken down into several parts :
1. Top level Domain (TLD)-The last segment of a domain name ,appearing after the final dot. Example, .com, .org
2. Second level Domain (SLD)- The main part of the domain name located directly to the left of the TLD.
3.Subdomain-An optional part of the domain name that appears before the SLD.

Key DNS components and their roles

DNS Resolver: Your computer’s first stop usually manages by internet service provider (ISP).
Root Servers: Direct queries to TLD servers.
TLD Servers: Point to the main domain’s authoritative servers.
Authoritative Servers: Hold the actual DNS records.
TTL: Time to live basically the time DNS will hold the information about the particular domain will be seated until it’s been refreshed.
DNS Records Types and purposes
A Record —-Maps a domain to an IPv4 address .
AAAA Record —- Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.
CNAME Record—— Redirects to another domain .
MX Record——Specifies mail servers for the domain.
TXT Record—— Holds text information e.g SPF (sender policy framework) for email security