From IP addresses to Domain names: how does DNS work?

Are you curious about how the internet's address book works?

• When you enter a web address, your device initiates a Domain Name System (DNS) lookup to retrieve the corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address for the domain name.
• This process involves a series of queries:

1. The device's local DNS resolver checks its cache and then contacts a root DNS server if necessary.
2. The root server directs the query to the appropriate TLD server, which then points to the authoritative DNS server containing the specific IP address for the requested domain.
3. The local resolver then caches the IP address and returns it to the device, allowing the user to access the desired website.

• DNS information is cached for a specific duration, known as Time to Live (TTL), facilitating faster access to frequently visited sites. 

There's a diagram from geeksforgeeks which explains DNS visually. I find it very useful and informative to understand the way DNS works.