DNS Resolution (The magic behind web surfing!)

One More Fancy Word Programmers Use in the Tech World

Have you ever wondered how simply typing a website name into a browser's search bar or a search engine magically redirects you to the website? It feels like magic, but it's not. Let’s understand what happens behind the scenes.

When you type Youtube.com in your search bar, the first thing that happens is a search for the IP address of the server where the website is hosted.

IP addresses are unique identification numbers assigned to all computers and servers in the world.

For Example:

If you're an Indian, you likely have an Aadhaar number, which serves as your unique identification. Using this Aadhaar number, your address can be located. Similarly, computers and servers have IPs as their unique identification numbers. These addresses typically look like this: 127.16.18.2.

Step 1:

When we type Youtube.com in the search box, a request is sent to the nearest Root DNS server. Globally, there are only 13 Root DNS servers. If you’re wondering why there are only 13, I don’t know either, but if you’re curious, you can put your brain.exe to work and figure it out!

Step 2:

The Root DNS server checks the URL to determine if it contains a top-level domain (TLD) such as .com, .in, .ai, .co, etc. After identifying the TLD, the request is forwarded to the respective TLD server.

Each TLD, like .com, .in, or .ai, has its own set of servers.

In our case, the Root DNS server will send the request to the .com TLD server.

Step 3:

The TLD server then forwards the request to the respective Authoritative Name Server (ANS). Here's another fancy word! ANS refers to companies that manage domain names, such as GoDaddy, BigRock, Hostinger, and others.

The ANS checks its server records and returns the corresponding IP address for the requested domain.

In our case, the ANS will provide the IP address for Youtube.com. Using this IP address, we can finally connect to Youtube.com.

This entire process is called DNS Resolution(the magic behind web surfing!)

If you’ve read my last article about HTTP, you can now connect the dots. HTTP is the protocol used behind the scenes to transfer information between the client and the server. It ensures smooth communication.

Note:

HTTP relies on other protocols like TCP and UDP to get the job done. Stay tuned, as we’ll explore these protocols in an upcoming blog!

Thank You Happy Learning!

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