DNS & Name Resolution

Humans remember domain names like byteion.com, while computers communicate via numerical IP addresses. DNS (Domain Name System) maps names to numbers in a globally distributed hierarchy.

The 4-Step DNS Lookup Tree

1. Recursive Resolver (ISP / 1.1.1.1)

Acts as a librarian, asking upstream servers on your browser's behalf.

2. Root Name Server (`.`)

Directs the query to the Top-Level Domain (TLD) server handling .com.

3. TLD Name Server (`.com`)

Points to the domain's Authoritative Name Server.

4. Authoritative Name Server

Holds the actual DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME) and returns the definitive IP address.

Quick Summary

DNS is the globally cached translation layer converting domain names to IP addresses.
Next, we explore HTTP, HTTPS & TLS 1.3.