What is DNS

There are several different important issues to know about when you're talking about domain names and related topics. DNS is for sure one of those need-to-know expressions. Read about its meaning here at WebHostingSearch.com


What is DNS

DNS (Domain Name System) is a way of making the Internet an easier place for the common man. It's a way of simplifying the way we use the web in our day to day life. The full explanation would be very complex and we will try to clarify its meaning in a short and concise manner.

Each computer in an IP-network has its own IP-numbers. When searching the web you write addresses with letters instead of numbers and this through the help of DNS. For example, instead of typing an IP-number like 140.90.99.144 on your browser you type in www.webhostingsearch.com. This makes it easier using the web and visit various sites. You could say that DNS "translates" whatever you've written into an IP-address and the other way around.

Short history

DNS was invented in 1983 but it heritages from the older system, HOSTS.TXT. The HOSTS.TXT file mapped numerical addresses to names. This system still exists but nowadays it primarily serves for troubleshooting DNS errors or for mapping local addresses to more organic names. The growth of networking called for a more scalable system: one that recorded a change in a host's address in one place only.

Dynamic DNS

Dynamic DNS is a system which allows the domain name data held in a name server to be updated in real time. The most frequent use for this is in allowing an Internet domain name to be assigned to a computer with a varying (dynamic) IP address. This enables other sites on the Internet to create connections to the machine without needing to track the IP address themselves.