Glossary · Web tech

DNS

Also calleddomain name systemwhat is dns

Definition

DNS is the internet's address book — it translates human-readable domain names like anyproxy.site into IP addresses computers use to connect.

Explanation

In depth

Every time your device visits a website, it first asks a DNS resolver for the site's IP address. That resolver is usually run by your ISP by default, though public options exist (1.1.1.1 from Cloudflare, 8.8.8.8 from Google). DNS traffic has historically been unencrypted, meaning your ISP or any network operator can see every domain you look up — which is why DNS-based blocking is the cheapest first-line censorship tool. Modern encrypted DNS variants (DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS) hide the queries. Changing your DNS to a public resolver defeats DNS-based blocks but does nothing against IP-level or DPI blocks — those need a proxy or VPN.

See alsoHow school Wi-Fi filters work

Related terms

DNS-over-HTTPSDNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) sends DNS queries wrapped in HTTPS — hiding domain lookups from your ISP and network operator.DNS filteringDNS filtering blocks websites by making the DNS resolver return a fake response — the cheapest and most common first-line censorship tool.DNS leakA DNS leak happens when your device sends DNS lookups outside the VPN tunnel — revealing which sites you are visiting even though the traffic itself is encrypted.TLS SNITLS Server Name Indication (SNI) is a field in the TLS handshake that names the destination hostname — visible to any network observer even when the connection itself is encrypted.

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