The Domain Name System (DNS) is an important part of the internet, providing a way to map names (a website you’re seeking) to numbers (the address for the website). Anything connected to the internet - laptops, tablets, mobile phones, websites - has an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Your favorite website might have an IP address like 93.184.216.34, but this is obviously not easy to remember. However, a domain name such as example.com is something people can recognize and remember. DNS maps domain names with IP addresses enabling humans to use memorable domain names while computers on the internet can use IP addresses.

Let’s explore what keeps billions of internet users and 368.4 million domain names* connecting—and how Verisign helps to make it happen.

* Domain Name Industry Brief, Q1 2025

Scroll down to see how it all works