The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system used on the internet to translate human-readable domain names (like www.jack-marketing.com) into numeric IP (Internet Protocol) addresses understandable by computers. DNS serves as the internet’s address book, enabling users to access websites and other internet resources using easy-to-remember domain names rather than complex IP addresses.
DNS Record Types
DNS servers store various types of resource records (RRs) that contain information about domain names, including:
- A Record: Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address.
- AAAA Record: Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME Record: Provides an alias for another domain name (canonical name).
- MX Record: Specifies the mail server responsible for receiving emails for a domain, and many others.