The Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet's directory service, translating human-readable website addresses (like canuckduck.ca) into numerical IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1) that computers use to locate servers. When you type a web address, DNS servers look up the corresponding IP address, enabling your browser to connect to the correct server. This system operates through a distributed network of servers worldwide, ensuring reliability and speed. DNS is fundamental to internet functionality—when DNS fails, websites become unreachable even if the servers hosting them work fine. Government websites rely on DNS just like any other site, and DNS security has become increasingly important as attackers may attempt to redirect users to fraudulent sites. Organizations often manage their own DNS records to control how their web addresses resolve to specific servers.