Week 6: DNS What?
Maleea m -
Have you ever searched for a website in your browser? Ever wonder how your computer actually knows where to find that website? It’s not magic—it’s DNS. And trust me, DNS is way cooler than it sounds.
What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System, and it’s basically the Internet’s phonebook. Instead of remembering random IP addresses for all your favorite sites (like 192.0.2.1 or something crazy like that), you just type in a website name, and DNS figures out where to go.
So when you type “maleeaisawesome.com,” the DNS does all the work behind the scenes to connect you to the right place.
How Does It Work?
Here’s a super simplified version:
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You type “maleeaisawesome.com” into your browser.
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Your browser asks a DNS server, “Hey homeboy, where’s maleeaisawesome.com?”
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The DNS server says, “It’s at 192.0.2.1, brah!”
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Your browser goes there and loads the website.
This process is called a DNS lookup, and it happens almost instantly.
The DNS Chain
DNS is set up in a hierarchy.
First, there are root servers that point your computer to the right TLD servers (those handle stuff like .com, .org, etc.). Then, those TLD servers help find the actual nameservers that know the final IP address.
Fun fact: there are only 13 main root server IPs, but they use something called Anycast to copy those servers all over the world. That way, your request gets answered by the closest one, making it super fast.
DNS + IoT Devices?
So how does this connect to smart stuff like your Alexa or smart fridge? Well, IoT devices (Internet of Things) also rely on DNS to do their thing. When a smart thermostat wants to update its software or talk to its cloud service, it has to ask a DNS server, just like your computer does. Without DNS, these devices wouldn’t know how to reach their servers to function or get updates. No DNS = no smart features.
By using my own DNS server, I can filter where these devices are allowed to connect. Like, if my smart fridge suddenly tries to talk to some sketchy server in a random country, I can block it. This means I can turn my DNS into a kind of firewall for all my IoT devices.
Building A DNS Server
The second half of my senior project is building a DNS server, and across the next few posts, I’ll document my process and how my server is being constructed.
“Fun” Frightening Fact of the Week:
87% of organizations have encountered DNS attacks, with the average cost per attack being around $950,000.
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