What is a DNS client?

If you deal a little more with your browser or the topic of DNS, you will quickly come across the DNS client. You can find out what this service does and why it is necessary in this practical tip.

What is DNS and what is a DNS client?

The Domain Name System, or DNS for short, is a system for resolving computer names into IP addresses. If you would like to visit a website, enter the Internet address in your browser. This then sends the request on to the DNS server to determine the IP address for the connection. The DNS client plays a central role here:

• The DNS client is integrated on your computer in the network protocol, the TCP / IP. There it acts as a library for resolving the computer name or Internet address into the associated IP address.
• It is the control unit between DNS and the program that requires the IP address, for example a browser.
• The DNS client can not only supply the IP address of a domain name, but also the associated domain name for an IP address.
• The DNS client is therefore an important component, without which the Internet would not work. You would simply not be able to access any websites since you and your browser could not determine the IP address.

In this practical tip we explain what the Domain Name System is.