How does a name find a website?
From a familiar address to a server: meet the lookup that gets you to the right place.
LET’S TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK.
Choose a step or follow the sequence.
The complete explanation is here, too.
Begin with a name
A domain gives people a readable name instead of asking them to remember an IP address.
- 01 / DOMAIN
Begin with a name
A domain gives people a readable name instead of asking them to remember an IP address.
- 02 / CACHE
Check what is already known
Your device may already have a usable answer in its cache. If so, the lookup can finish quickly.
- 03 / DNS
Ask for an address
If no cached answer is available, a DNS resolver helps find the address associated with the name.
- 04 / ADDRESS
Receive the answer
The answer provides an address the device can use. Names and addresses are related, but they are not the same thing.
- 05 / CONNECT
Connect to the server
With an address available, the browser can establish the connections needed to request the website.
- 06 / WEBSITE
Keep the roles separate
DNS finds an address. The web server supplies the website. A successful lookup alone does not guarantee the website is available.
What this model covers.
A simplified DNS lookup. Caches can skip steps; a domain may resolve to multiple addresses. DNS lookup and loading a website are separate operations.
GO TO THE SOURCE · OPENS A NEW TABMDN · What is a domain name?An authored visual explanation. The illustration is a metaphor; the steps describe a simplified model.
ANOTHER QUESTION.
ANOTHER WAY IN.
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Follow a payment from checkout to confirmation—and see why “processing” is not the same as “paid”.
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Follow water through the atmosphere, across the land, and below the surface.
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Connect your pedals, chain, and wheels—and see how a gear change changes the effort.