DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a fundamental system on the internet that translates human-readable domain names, like www.example.com, into machine-readable IP addresses, such as 192.0.2.1, which computers use to locate and communicate with each other on the network

. In essence, DNS acts like the internet's phonebook: when you type a website name into your browser, DNS servers find the corresponding IP address so your device can connect to the correct web server and load the website content

. DNS is a hierarchical and distributed system, meaning it is made up of many DNS servers around the world that work together to provide fast and reliable domain name resolution without relying on a single central database

. This system enables users to access websites and internet services using easy-to-remember names instead of numeric IP addresses, making the internet much more user-friendly and accessible