What is DNS?
The Domain Name System, told as a story about the town directory that turns names into addresses.
People only know names.'Photo Castle', 'Mail Castle'. But roads only go by number.
You can't memorize all the numbers.And if a castle moves, everything you memorized is wrong.
DNS is the directory that turns names into addresses.'Where's the Photo Castle?' 'East 3rd Street, number 7.' You only need the name.
If our directory doesn't know, it asks a bigger one.Town → country → world → that castle's own directory. The answer is jotted down for a while — like the copy depot.
If the directory lies, you walk into a fake castle.So answers get a stamp (DNSSEC) and questions travel sealed (DoH). The fake castle also shows up in the gatekeeper story.
DNS = the town directory that turns the name 'Photo Castle' into the address 'East 3rd Street, 7'.
The Domain Name System, around since 1983. 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 are famous directories. When the directory stops, the internet looks down — the castles are fine, nobody can find them.
When grown-ups say it
- Domain name
- The name. Letters people remember, like photo.example.kr.
- IP address
- The numeric address. The number roads actually follow. → the wall with many doors
- Resolver
- The town directory. Asks around for me. 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1.
- Authoritative server
- That castle's own directory. The last stop, holding the real answer.
- Root · TLD
- World · country directories. They split the big sections: .kr, .com and so on.
- TTL
- How long the jotted answer lasts. Past it, ask again. → the copy depot
- DNSSEC
- A stamped answer. A swapped answer can be spotted.
- DoH · DoT
- A sealed question. Nobody on the road overhears where you're going. → the sealed tunnel