(Yes! Like you, a website has its own IP addresses.)įor now, you don’t really need to know too much about DNS services-how they work and such. The DNS server automatically matches that name to an IP address-the IP address for that website you want. Same thing with your computer and the Internet (which is the world’s biggest network): When you click on a link to go to or or The Wall Street Journal site, your Internet connection runs that information through its associated DNS server.When you touch/select a name, your phone calls that person or business because there’s a number associated with that name, which helps you make the connection. If (highly) simplified analogies work for you, think of it like this: On your cellphone’s call/speed-dial list, you have the names of friends, family and businesses you call often.

That has to happen for the Internet to make the right connection. DNS stands for “Domain Name System.” A DNS service/server is a network component that translates the name of the website you want to visit into the IP address that matches that website.

One change to consider is whether to switch the default DNS service your Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses. You should know that there are some things you can control-and that you likely don’t know about-that will affect your personal Internet experience for the better.

Switching to public dns servers mac