Home/Glossary/Domain Name System (DNS)

Domain Name System (DNS)

The hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.

NetworkingAlso called: "dns", "name resolution"

DNS acts as the internet's phonebook, resolving names like example.com to IP addresses like 93.184.216.34.

DNS record types

  • A/AAAA: IPv4/IPv6 address mappings.
  • CNAME: Canonical name (alias) for another domain.
  • MX: Mail server routing.
  • TXT: Arbitrary text data (SPF, DKIM, verification).
  • NS: Nameserver delegation.

Security concerns

  • DNS hijacking: Attackers redirect queries to malicious IPs.
  • DNS cache poisoning: Corrupt resolver caches with fake records.
  • DNSSEC: Cryptographic authentication of DNS responses.