If you are new to using the internet, the first item you will learn about is a domain name or if you are setting up a new business, you will begin to look at domain names for users to find the website for your new business.
Understanding The Internet
However, before learning what a domain name is, you first need to know what the internet is which is a global network of computers and servers that are connected by cables or wireless technologies.
This allows for the various computers and devices to send and receive data but in order to do this, they need an address to identify each computer and device to send or receive data from.
An IP adress is used to identify each computer or device which is a series of numbers that looks like:
185.151.30.150
However, trying to remember a series of numbers to visit a computer, server or website can be difficult and domain names were created to solve this problem.
So instead of entering an IP address to visit a website, you can type an easy to remember domain name within the address bar of your web browser such as www.digitalchimps.co.uk
To understand how this process works, let's take a look what takes place when you visit a website.
1
You enter the domain name or website address www.digitalchimps.co.uk into your web browser's address bar.
2
The browser visits a DNS or Domain Name Service to find the domain name and the IP address which it is mapped to.
3
The DNS server then redirects the request to the IP address which is normally located on a web server.
4
The web server locates and returns the data and information or website which as originally requested and sends it to your web browser to view.
It's important to note that when using or purchasing a domain name, other services such as email, website hosting and software needs to be setup and configured seperately.