How do domain names resolve? How does it work?

DomainCn
12 Jun 2025 11:48:49 AM
Domain name resolution is the process of converting the domain name we enter (e.g., www.example.com) into an IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.1) that a computer can understand. Computers use numeric IP addresses when communicating in a network,

How do domain names resolve? How does it work behind the scenes? What happens when we type a website address into a browser? These questions may seem simple, but they involve the core mechanism of Internet operation. Domain name resolution, as a bridge between users and websites.

Domain name resolution is the process of converting the domain name we enter (e.g., www.example.com) into an IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.1) that a computer can understand. Computers use numeric IP addresses when communicating in a network, whereas humans are more likely to remember domain names. Thus, the existence of domain name resolution greatly facilitates our access to websites. Imagine how much of a hassle it would be if we didn't have this process and needed to memorize a complex string of numbers every time we went online.

What is the exact process of domain name resolution? When you type a domain name into your browser and press enter, first, the browser will check the local DNS cache to see if there is already a resolution record for the domain name. If the corresponding IP address is found in the cache, the browser will directly use this address to access the website. If it is not found, the browser sends a request to the DNS server to begin domain name resolution.

The work of a DNS server can be divided into several steps. The browser sends a query request to the local DNS server (usually provided by your Internet service provider). If the local DNS server does not have a record for the domain name, it will query the root DNS server. The root DNS servers are the “navigators” of the Internet and know the addresses of all the top-level domain name servers (.com, .cn, etc.). Next, the local DNS server will send a request to the corresponding top-level domain name server to get the address of the authoritative DNS server for the domain name.

Once the authoritative DNS server is found, the local DNS server sends a request to it to get the final IP address for the domain. At this point, the authoritative DNS server returns the IP address corresponding to this domain name, and after a series of lookups, the local DNS server returns the result to the browser. Eventually, the browser will be able to communicate with the target website through this IP address and load the web content.

This process, although it sounds complicated, actually takes only a few milliseconds to complete. It is due to the efficiency of DNS that we are able to access various websites quickly. It is worth mentioning that the efficiency of DNS resolution is crucial to the speed of accessing websites. If DNS resolution is slow, users will feel a delay in accessing the website, affecting their experience.

In addition, domain name resolution also involves some security issues. attacks such as DNS spoofing and DNS hijacking may cause users to access the wrong website and even leak sensitive information. Therefore, many websites and service providers have begun to adopt some techniques to enhance DNS security and ensure that the domain names accessed by users are legitimate.

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