DNS
The Domain Name System, or DNS, maps human-readable domain names to records used to locate and configure internet services.
For web browsing, DNS commonly resolves a domain to an IP address before the browser connects to the web server. DNS also supports records for mail and other services.
How names become destinations
For web browsing, DNS commonly resolves a domain to an IP address before the browser connects to the web server. DNS also supports records for mail and other services. In practical terms, DNS belongs to the browser, server or document layer. Knowing that layer is important because it tells you what the term can change, what it cannot change, and where to look when something behaves unexpectedly.
Following wemaxa.com to its records
When someone enters wemaxa.com, DNS resolves the human-readable hostname to records that tell the client where the service is hosted.
Where DNS sits before the web server
You do not need to memorize the term in isolation. It becomes useful when you can recognize it in the tool, browser, file or conversation where the concept is doing real work.
DNS and the browser solve different problems
The Domain Name System, or DNS, maps human-readable domain names to records used to locate and configure internet services. By contrast, A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, identifies the location of a resource and the protocol used to access it. The two can appear in the same project, but they describe different parts of the work and should not be used as interchangeable labels.
The mistake: changing hosting while DNS still points elsewhere
The common mistake is to use DNS as if it also meant URL. That blurs two separate decisions and usually sends troubleshooting in the wrong direction. A better test is practical: Compare the expected A, AAAA or CNAME records with the records returned by a DNS lookup.
Why name resolution is the first dependency
In day-to-day work, DNS matters when a domain name must resolve to the server or service that handles it. The practical value is not the vocabulary itself; it is being able to identify the right control, file, setting or decision when the concept becomes relevant.
When someone enters wemaxa.com, DNS resolves the human-readable hostname to records that tell the client where the service is hosted. That example is useful because it turns the definition into something you can recognize, test and discuss with other people working on the same project.
Related terms worth learning next
Sources and further reading
Use these references when you need documentation-level detail, specifications or product-specific behavior beyond the plain-English explanation above.