Domain Name Systems (DNS)

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It serves as the 'phonebook of the internet,' translating human-readable domain names (like 'example.com') into machine-readable…

Key facts

First appeared: 1983
Category: technology
Problem solved: DNS was created to address the severe scalability and management limitations of the centralized HOSTS.TXT file, which became untenable for mapping names to IP addresses as the ARPANET (and nascent internet) grew rapidly.
Platforms: Any operating system with a TCP/IP stack, Solaris, FreeBSD, macOS, Linux, Windows

Related technologies

SMTP
HTTP
Web Browsers
HTTPS
TCP/IP
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
Operating Systems
Email Servers
FTP
Load Balancers

Notable users

Individual Internet Users
Cloud Computing Providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Government Organizations
Enterprises and Corporations
Universities and Research Institutions