DNS
In depthProtocol / format
Also known as: Domain Name System
Translates domain names (like google.com) into IP addresses so computers can find each other.
DNS, explained
Written by EduVerseWhat it is
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s address book. It’s a protocol plus a worldwide network of servers that turns a name like example.com into the IP address of the machine behind it. Your computer asks a resolver, which finds the answer and remembers it for a while.
Why teams use it
People remember names, computers need numbers. DNS lets that link change without anyone noticing: move your site to a new server, update one record, and visitors keep typing the same address. Through MX records it also tells other servers where to deliver email for your domain.
An example from work
You move your site to a new server and update the domain’s A record, but a colleague still sees the old version. Their resolver keeps serving the cached answer until its TTL (time to live) runs out. Running nslookup or dig on the domain shows which IP address it resolves to right now.
Our own explanation, not a quote from the book.
In the book
Sentences from The Software Realm, Decoded that mention DNS, exactly as printed.
3 more passages about DNS in the full book
Read every conversation where DNS comes up, with the interactive slides and demos.
Where it fits
Name resolution on the internet
Coverage in the book
Covered in depth: multiple pages with explanations, examples and simulations.
