Understand the Function of a Domain Name with Easy Steps

22nd April, 2021

Domain Name

Those who have to work with the domain name may find it very easy, though the concept of the domain name isn’t that simple for a beginner. It doesn’t only imply your understanding of the proper sequence of letters and words that will form a web address. To plant an identity with a domain name, you have to study its facts and the efforts that it takes to create a domain name. It is slightly different than what you think on the outside because its registration is separated from a website’s actual address. It conceals the real address of a website like a mask and makes it more convenient to remember.

Let’s begin with the simple question: What is a domain name?

If you want a simple answer then a domain name is the exact address of a website that users type in the browser URL section so that they can reach the website. If you see a website like a house, then the domain name will be the address that leads people towards that house.

Internet is a great network that is interconnected with all the computers of the world through a global chain of cables. Every computer connected with the network can communicate with other sets of connected devices.

It is impossible to track these computers without a distinctive IP address. It is filled with special characters and that way one can identify any computer that is connected to the internet. An IP address is created with numbers like geo-locations.

The IP address contains only unique number sets which are very difficult to remember and use at the time of need. It is very inconvenient to type numbers in the URL box to visit your favorite website quickly.

Domain names are created to serve this purpose. You don’t have to tax your brain thinking about the right set of numbers to put inside the box to visit the website. Simply type the domain name in the search box to land on the home page of the website.

How does a domain name work?

When you use a domain name in your web browser, it sends a signal to the global network of servers that builds the Domain Name System (DNS). Every single domain name is attached to DNS that breaks down the numerically coded address (known as IP, or Internet Protocol, addresses) and converts them into palpable words.

The numeric codes represent the true address of a website on the internet. The domain name registration is added to a DNS server and web hosts will take care of the matter. When someone tries to get in a domain name registration to a web browser, the URL’s DNS becomes responsible to handle the request. The DNS server directs the browser to the correct IP address if the domain name is correctly used.

When the IP address is detected, the users can visit the web page and regulate what they want to see. They land on the web server and select specific web pages.

The browser decides which protocol (the language and algorithm the user’s machine uses to interact with the server) should be applied. FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) are generally used.

The next step for the server is to send a GET request to the web server that reaches the address. Suppose you typed https://www.example.com/1.jpg, because you want to visit the platform, the browser will give a GET command to the server and waits for its response. The server verifies the address and finds the existing files to run appropriate scripts and sends the results to the browser.

The browser converts the data to HTML and shows the results to the person on the other side of the device.

Tags: Domain Name, Domain Name System, DNS, Internet Protocol