Our community employs names as a means of mutual recognition, much like how a network operates.
For identifying devices, we rely on numerical IP addresses.
Whenever individuals log into a website, they employ the web address of that site. For example, this website, hosted on the Internet as IP address 172.217.194.113, cannot be recognized by the servers if referred to as "Google.com." Fortunately, there exists a solution to address this issue.
Network engineers have devised a system known as DNS (Domain Name System
When you enter "google.com" into your browser, it doesn't immediately access the DNS database. Instead, it searches for a matching IP address so that your device can connect to Google's web server. The DNS system functions akin to a phone book, associating names with numbers, much like finding contact information.
Here's how it works: Initially, when you type "google.com" in your web browser, if your local system or operating system doesn't find a match in its cache, it sends a query to the next level, which is the resolver server. This resolver server is typically provided by your internet service provider (ISP). The resolver server checks its cache for an IP address matching "google.com." If it doesn't find it, it proceeds to the next level, the root server, which resides at the top of the DNS hierarchy.
There are 13 root servers distributed globally, managed by different organizations. When the resolver queries the root server, the root server doesn't possess the specific IP address for "google.com." Instead, it knows where to direct the resolver. The root server forwards the resolver to the Top-Level Domain (TLD) Server associated with the relevant domain, such as ".com." The TLD server holds address information for top-level domains like .com, .net, and .org.
The TLD server, in this case, focuses solely on the .com domain, but it doesn't have knowledge of which IP address corresponds to "google.com." Subsequently, the TLD server directs the resolver to the last stop, the Authoritative Name Server.
The resolver queries the Authoritative Name Server for the IP address of "google.com." The Authoritative Name Server possesses comprehensive information about the domain, including the IP address. It furnishes the resolver with the IP address for "google.com."
After this, the resolver informs your PC that "google.com" corresponds to a specific IP address, allowing your computer to retrieve Google's web page.
Once the resolver obtains an IP address, it stores it in its cache. This means you won't have to repeat the entire process when accessing "google.com" in the future.