This article provides a basic description of website domain names and DNS. It is intentionally kept simple to educate non-technical folk.

Network attached devices (such as a web server, your phone or an Alexa assistant) are assigned an IP Address  e.g. Google.com is currently using 142.250.66.238. There are four numbers in an IP Address which can each be 0-256. This provides numbering for over 4 billion devices. This sounds like a lot, but we are actually running out, so we are moving to another system that provides more numbers.

These numbers are hard to remember so we use a Domain Name  e.g. we use google.com rather than 142.250.66.238. Domain names are licenced from a Domain Name Registrar for 1 or more years i.e. this is the company you get your domain name from.

When you type turtletechnology.com into your browser how does it find your website? The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for translating the domain name into the IP address. Specifically, it uses a Name Server to do this.

Working through an example:

1. You type turtletechnology.com into your browser.
2. Your browser contacts the Name Server and sends it the turtletechnology.com domain.
3. The Name Server responds with the corresponding IP Address 3.105.95.63.
4. The browser contacts the webserver using the IP Address.
5. The webserver responds with a webpage which is displayed in your browser.

There are complexities around how an IP Address gets you to the webserver and how your browser accesses the right Name Servers and caching. But these are the subject of a more in-depth article.

It should also be noted that the DNS system is also used by email.

If we are hosting your website for you then we will be happy to host your domain, including providing your Name Servers.