Definition: The Domain Name System (DNS) was created to provide a way to translate domain names to their corresponding IP addresses. It is easier for users to remember the domain name, such as yahoo.com, than to try and remember the actual IP address (for example 65.37.128.56) of each site they want to visit. The DNS server maintains a list of domain names and IP addresses so that when a request comes in it can be pointed to the correct corresponding IP address.
Keeping a single database of all domain names and IP addresses in the world would be exceptionally difficult, if not impossible. For this reason the burden has been spread around the world. Companies, web hosts and ISP's and other entities that choose to do so maintain their own DNS servers. Spreading the workload like this speeds up the whole process and provides better security instead of relying on a single source.
Also Known As: Domain Name System