What is DNS?
DNS, or Domain Name System, is the Internet’s address book. It’s a crucial system that translates human-friendly domain names (like google.com) into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network. DNS records contain important information about your domain, including where to find your website and how to route your emails.
How Does DNS Work?
Every device connected to the Internet has a unique IP address, which is a series of numbers (like 192.168.1.1). However, remembering these numbers for every website would be nearly impossible for humans. That’s where DNS comes in to make it easy enough for anyone to use!

When you type a web address into your browser, here’s what happens:
- Your computer asks a DNS server, “What’s the IP address for this website?”
- The DNS server looks up the information and replies with the correct IP address.
- Your computer then connects to that IP address to load the website.
This process happens in milliseconds, making your browsing experience seamless.
Where is DNS Located?
DNS information is stored on specialized servers called nameservers. When registering a domain name, your registrar (like Enom or GoDaddy) typically provides nameservers to store your DNS records. However, you’re not obligated to use these. Some website owners choose to use third-party DNS services like Cloudflare for various technical reasons, such as improved performance or additional features.
Tracking Down Your Domain & Its DNS
If you’re not sure where to start looking for access to your domain and its DNS there are some tools online to help you narrow down your search. A great tool to start with is the WHO IS site.

When you perform a WHOIS lookup, you can find:
- The domain registrar (where the domain name is registered)
- The nameservers (where the DNS records are stored)
- The registrant’s information (sometimes this information will be protected & if that’s the case, it can provide us with some clues on accessing the account at the registrar)
Let’s take a look at the WHOIS information for vimm.com.
From the image below, we can see that the domain vimm.com is registered at Enom, the name servers (i.e., the DNS records) are stored at CloudFlare, and the information for the registrant is protected. By using this information, we know where to start looking if we need to get access to our domain or its DNS records.

Knowing where your domain is registered and how your DNS is managed is important for keeping your website and email running smoothly.
In simple terms, DNS helps connect users to websites by turning complicated numbers into easy-to-remember addresses. If you have any questions about your DNS or need help understanding it, please reach out to your Account Director—we’re here to help!