How DNS Works When You Search for a Website

Every time you type a website address into your browser—like thehostmasters.com—something incredible happens behind the scenes. Your computer doesn’t actually understand words like “thehostmasters.” Instead, it relies on the Domain Name System (DNS) to translate that domain into an IP address. If you’ve ever wondered “what does DNS stand for?”, “how does DNS work step by step?”, or “what is a DNS server?”—you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll break DNS down into simple steps, explain why it’s so important, and show you exactly how it connects users to websites all over the world.

What Are Domain Names?

A domain name is the human-readable address you type into your browser, like thehostmasters.com. Behind the scenes, every domain name points to an A record that contains an IP address. An IP address is the actual “street address” of the server where the website lives.

So why do we use domain names instead of IP addresses? Simply because they’re easier to remember. Imagine having to remember 192.168.0.45 instead of thehostmasters.com—not very user-friendly!

A domain name is structured from right to left. For example, take example.thehostmasters.com:

".com" → The Top Level Domain (TLD).
"thehostmasters" → The Second Level Domain.
"example" → A Subdomain, which is optional.

How Are Domain Names Registered?

Domains are managed by organizations called registries, each responsible for a specific TLD. For instance, ".com" and ".net" are managed by Verisign, while ".nl" is managed by SIDN. However, you can’t normally buy a domain directly from the registry. Instead, you go through a registrar (a company authorized to sell domain names to the public).

The Host Masters is a registrar, meaning you can register domains through us quickly and easily. We connect directly with the official registries to ensure your domain is secure and properly managed.

What Does DNS Stand For?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is often described as the “phonebook of the internet.” Just as a phonebook translates names into phone numbers, DNS translates human-friendly domain names into IP addresses that computers understand.

Without DNS, you would have to type in long, complex IP addresses every time you wanted to visit a website. Thanks to DNS, you only need to type something memorable like thehostmasters.com.

A Short History of DNS

In the very early days of the internet (ARPANET in the 1980s), computers used a single hosts.txt file that listed all known computers and their IP addresses. This quickly became impossible to manage as the network grew. In 1983, Paul Mockapetris invented the Domain Name System, which distributed this information across multiple servers in a hierarchy. Today, DNS is one of the fundamental pillars of how the internet works.

How Does DNS Work?

The DNS is hierarchical, structured like a tree of Name Servers (NS). A Name Server is a special type of server that stores DNS records and forwards requests to other servers when necessary. The hierarchy is read from right to left, starting with the TLD and moving to the domain and then subdomain.

At the very top are the Root Name Servers. These servers don’t know every website on the internet, but they do know where to find the TLD servers (like .com or .nl). From there, the request moves step by step down the chain until it finds the right IP address.

Recursive DNS vs Authoritative DNS

When you visit a website, two types of DNS servers are involved:

Recursive DNS server (often run by your ISP, Google DNS, or Cloudflare). This server’s job is to “ask around” until it finds the answer for you. Think of it as the detective.
Authoritative DNS server. This is the server that actually holds the DNS records for the domain. Think of it as the official record keeper.

For example, when you try to visit thehostmasters.com, your computer will first ask a recursive DNS server. That server will then query the authoritative DNS server for thehostmasters.com, get the correct IP address, and pass it back to you.

Step-by-Step: What Happens When You Visit a Website?

Let’s use example.thehostmasters.com as an example. Here’s what happens when you type it into Chrome:

Your browser asks a Root Name Server: “Do you know where .com websites are managed?”
The Root NS replies with the address of the .com TLD Name Server.
The .com TLD server then points your browser to the authoritative Name Server responsible for thehostmasters.com.
The Name Server for thehostmasters.com looks into its DNS zone and finds an A record (or AAAA record for IPv6) that contains the IP address of the hosting server.
Your browser uses that IP address to connect directly to the hosting server and load the website.

This all happens in milliseconds—so fast that you don’t even notice the process!

What is DNS Caching?

To make the internet faster, DNS uses caching. Once your device or ISP looks up a domain name, it stores the result temporarily. This means the next time you visit the same site, your computer already knows the IP address and doesn’t need to repeat the full lookup process.

This is why sometimes, when you change DNS records, it can take a while to update everywhere. This waiting time is called DNS propagation.

DNS Records Explained

DNS doesn’t just handle A records. There are many different types of DNS records that serve different purposes:

A record: Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.
AAAA record: Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.
CNAME record: Forwards one domain name to another.
MX record: Directs emails to the correct mail server.
TXT record: Stores text information, often used for verification and security (SPF, DKIM, etc.).
NS record: Tells the internet which Name Servers are authoritative for a domain.
SOA record: Start of Authority, which contains administrative information about the domain.

Common DNS Problems

Because DNS is so crucial, problems with it can cause entire websites or emails to stop working. Here are a few common issues people search for:

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: This means the DNS lookup failed because the domain does not exist or DNS records are incorrect.
Propagation delay: After updating DNS records, it can take hours (sometimes up to 48) before changes are visible worldwide.
Incorrect Name Server setup: If your NS records are wrong, your domain may not point anywhere.

Luckily, most of these problems can be fixed by checking your DNS settings or waiting for propagation to complete.

What is an IP Address?

An IP address is like the street address of a house, but for devices on the internet. It ensures your data knows exactly where to go.

There are two types of IP addresses:

IPv4 (32-bit, ~4.3 billion possible addresses). Example: 127.0.0.1.
IPv6 (128-bit, 340 sextillion possible addresses). Example: 2001:db8:85a3:8d3:1319:8a2e:370:7348.

IPv6 was introduced because we are running out of IPv4 addresses. With more devices connecting every day, IPv6 is the future.

Check your IP address

Glossary

DNS: Domain Name System, the internet’s phonebook.
IP address: A unique numeric address for a device on the internet.
TLD: Top Level Domain (.com, .nl, .org, etc.).
Second Level Domain: The main part of a domain name (e.g. “thehostmasters”).
Subdomain: An optional prefix (e.g. blog.thehostmasters.com).
NS (Name Server): A server that stores DNS records and directs queries.
DNS Zone: A container of DNS records managed by a specific Name Server.
A record: The DNS record that maps a domain to an IPv4 address.
Authoritative DNS: The server that holds the “official” DNS records for a domain.
Recursive DNS: The server that queries other servers on your behalf to resolve a domain.

How to Register a Domain

Registering a domain name is simple! With The Host Masters domain registration tool, you can instantly check availability and secure your domain in just a few clicks.

Check Domain Availability

Fun Fact

Did you know the most expensive domain name ever sold was voice.com for a record-breaking $30 million? That shows just how valuable the right domain name can be.

We hope this article gave you a clear, step-by-step understanding of how DNS works, what DNS servers do, and why it’s essential for the internet. The next time you type in a domain, you’ll know exactly what’s happening behind the scenes!