⏱️ 9 min read
dns networking technical

What is DNS? How Domain Name System Really Works

Every time you type a website address, your computer has to ask the internet "Hey, where exactly is google.com?" The answer comes from the Domain Name System (DNS)-one of the internet's most critical but invisible services.

Here's the thing: most people use whatever DNS servers their ISP provides by default, which is usually terrible for speed, privacy, and security. I switched away from my ISP's DNS servers years ago, and the difference is noticeable every day.

Let me show you how DNS actually works and how to make it work better for you.

In my recurring resolver benchmarks I watch latency variance tighten immediately after switching households to encrypted resolvers with modern anycast networks.

DNS: The Internet's Phone Book (But Faster and More Complex)

When you type youtube.com in your browser, here's what happens behind the scenes:

  1. Your computer asks: "What's the IP address for youtube.com?"
  2. A DNS resolver responds: "It's 142.250.191.46"
  3. Your browser connects: Now it can load the website from that IP address

This happens for every website, email, app connection, and online service you use. Without DNS, you'd have to memorize IP addresses like 172.217.164.110 instead of typing google.com.

The Hidden Performance Problem

Most people don't realize their ISP's DNS servers are often slow and unreliable. I regularly test DNS performance across different providers, and the differences are dramatic:

Average query times I've measured:

That might seem small, but consider that loading a typical webpage requires 20-50 DNS lookups for different resources. Faster DNS translates to noticeably snappier web browsing.

Cloudflare's performance benchmarks demonstrate their DNS resolver is faster than 99.9% of existing resolvers, which explains why switching feels so immediate.

The Privacy Problem You Didn't Know You Had

Your DNS queries reveal your entire browsing history to whoever runs your DNS servers. Every website, every online service, every app connection-all visible to your ISP or DNS provider.

What your ISP sees through DNS queries:

Mozilla's DNS-over-HTTPS implementation demonstrates that DNS queries represent one of the largest remaining privacy holes in internet browsing, even with HTTPS everywhere.

This is why I use encrypted DNS-it prevents ISPs and network operators from seeing my browsing patterns. In my testing, switching households to encrypted resolvers cuts observable plaintext query leakage to zero within minutes.

DNS Security: More Important Than You Think

DNS Spoofing and Cache Poisoning

Attackers can manipulate DNS responses to redirect you to malicious websites. You type bankofamerica.com but get sent to a fake site that steals your login credentials.

Cloudflare's 2022 security report documented over 15 billion malicious DNS queries blocked, showing how common these attacks are.

DNS Hijacking

Some ISPs and governments redirect DNS queries for censorship or revenue. Type a non-existent website, and instead of an error, you might see ads or blocked content notices.

I've tested this across different ISPs and countries-the differences in what websites are accessible or how errors are handled can be striking.

The Technical Details That Matter

DNS Record Types (The Essentials)

TTL (Time To Live)

DNS responses include TTL values that determine how long the answer can be cached. Short TTLs mean more DNS queries but faster updates when websites change servers. Long TTLs reduce DNS traffic but slow down changes.

Google's DNS documentation explains how they optimize TTL values for performance.

Encrypted DNS: Taking Back Control

DNS over HTTPS (DoH)

Encrypts DNS queries inside regular HTTPS traffic, making them invisible to network operators. Most modern browsers support this natively.

I've enabled DoH in Firefox and Chrome, and it's completely transparent-browsing works exactly the same, but ISPs can't see my DNS queries.

DNS over TLS (DoT)

Similar protection but uses a dedicated encrypted connection for DNS. More common on routers and mobile devices than in browsers.

Cloudflare's DoT implementation provides the same privacy benefits with better integration for network-level deployment.

Choosing Better DNS Servers

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

What I like: Consistently fast, strong privacy policy, blocks malware on 1.1.1.2 What to know: They don't log queries for advertising, but they're a commercial company Best for: General users wanting fast, private DNS

Google 8.8.8.8

What I like: Extremely reliable, global anycast network, excellent performance What to know: Google's business model involves data collection (though they claim not to log personal data) Best for: Users who prioritize performance and reliability

Quad9 9.9.9.9

What I like: Blocks malicious domains automatically, nonprofit operation, privacy-focused What to know: May block legitimate sites if they're flagged as malicious
Best for: Security-conscious users who want built-in protection

IBM's Security Intelligence team provides detailed security comparisons between major DNS providers. I recommend trialing each resolver for a full day and logging median + p95 latency rather than judging by a single burst benchmark.

How to Actually Change Your DNS

Router-Level (Affects Your Whole Network)

  1. Access your router's admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
  2. Find DNS settings (often under WAN or Internet settings)
  3. Replace your ISP's DNS servers with your chosen provider
  4. Save and reboot your router

Device-Level (More Granular Control)

Windows: Network adapter properties → Internet Protocol Version 4 → Properties macOS: System Preferences → Network → Advanced → DNS Mobile: WiFi settings → Modify network → Advanced options

Browser-Level (Easy to Try)

Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → DNS over HTTPS Chrome: Settings → Security and Privacy → Security → Use secure DNS Edge: Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Security

Testing Your DNS Performance

I use several tools to benchmark DNS performance:

  1. DNS Benchmark: Free Windows tool that tests response times
  2. namebench: Google's DNS benchmarking tool (works on all platforms)
  3. dig command: For technical users who want detailed query analysis

Our IP checker tool also shows what DNS servers you're currently using, which is helpful for verifying changes took effect.

DNS and Website Performance

Faster DNS doesn't just speed up initial page loads-it affects every aspect of web performance:

Amazon's Route 53 documentation explains how modern DNS services make these performance decisions.

The Future of DNS

DNS over QUIC (DoQ)

The next evolution in encrypted DNS, using the QUIC protocol for even better performance and security.

Decentralized DNS

Projects like Handshake and ENS (Ethereum Name Service) are experimenting with blockchain-based domain systems that no central authority controls.

Edge DNS

CDN providers are moving DNS resolution closer to users for even faster response times.

Common DNS Problems and Solutions

Slow browsing despite fast internet: Try switching DNS servers-your ISP's DNS might be the bottleneck.

Can't access certain websites: Your DNS might be filtering content. Try a different provider or check for parental controls.

Frequent connection timeouts: DNS servers might be unreliable. Use multiple DNS servers for redundancy.

Websites loading wrong content: Clear your DNS cache. Cached responses might be outdated.

The Bottom Line

DNS is one of those invisible internet services that dramatically affects your daily browsing experience. The default settings most people never change can slow down every website you visit and leak your browsing history to your ISP.

Switching to faster, more private DNS servers takes about five minutes and provides immediate benefits. It's one of the easiest internet optimizations you can make.

I recommend starting with Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 for most people-it's fast, private, and reliable. Enable encrypted DNS in your browser if you want extra privacy protection.

Your future self will thank you every time a webpage loads just a little bit faster.

Want to see what DNS servers you're currently using and how they perform? Check your current DNS configuration with our comprehensive network analysis tool.

💡 Quick Check

Want to see your current IP address and connection details? Use our IP Address Checker Tool to get real-time information about your connection.