DNS resolution is a multi-step lookup that happens in milliseconds every time you visit a website. Here is exactly what happens when you type a domain name into your browser.

The Full DNS Lookup Chain

  1. You type google.com.
  2. Browser cache: The browser checks if it already resolved this domain recently. If yes, it uses the cached IP. If not, it asks the OS.
  3. OS cache / hosts file: The operating system checks its own DNS cache and the local /etc/hosts file. If found, uses that IP.
  4. Recursive resolver: If not cached, the OS sends the query to your configured DNS server (usually your ISP's, or one you manually set like 1.1.1.1). This is called a recursive resolver because it does the work of finding the answer for you.
  5. Root nameserver: The recursive resolver asks one of 13 root nameserver clusters for the address of the .com TLD nameserver.
  6. TLD nameserver: The .com TLD nameserver tells the resolver which nameserver is authoritative for google.com.
  7. Authoritative nameserver: The resolver asks Google's authoritative nameserver for the actual IP of google.com. It gets back an A record with the IP address.
  8. Response returned: The recursive resolver sends the IP back to your browser, caching it for the TTL (time-to-live) specified in the record.

DNS TTL Explained

Every DNS record has a TTL value (in seconds). This tells resolvers how long to cache the result before asking again. A TTL of 300 means the IP is cached for 5 minutes. Shorter TTLs allow faster propagation of changes; longer TTLs reduce DNS query volume.

How to Look Up DNS Records

Use our DNS Lookup tool to query any domain's DNS records, including A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, and TXT records.

People Also Ask

Is 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 better for gaming?
1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) tends to have lower latency than 8.8.8.8 (Google) in most regions, and Cloudflare has a strong privacy policy. For gaming, 1.1.1.1 is generally the better choice.

Related: What is DNS? | Flush DNS cache | DNS Lookup