DNS relies on four types of servers working together to resolve a domain name. The recursive resolver is the first stop, receiving your request and coordinating the rest of the lookup on your behalf, often run by your ISP or a public provider like Cloudflare. The root server sits at the top of the hierarchy and directs the resolver to the correct top level domain server based on the ending of the address, such as .com or .net. The TLD server then points to the specific authoritative server responsible for that domain. Finally, the authoritative server holds the actual DNS records and returns the correct IP address for the requested domain. These four layers work together in milliseconds each time you visit a website, converting a readable name into the address your device needs.

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