DNS Server
A DNS (Domain Name System) server is a network service that translates human-readable domain names (like example.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1). It acts as a distributed directory for the internet, enabling devices to locate resources by name rather than numeric addresses. DNS servers can be authoritative (managing specific domains) or recursive (resolving queries by consulting other servers).
Developers should learn about DNS servers when building networked applications, configuring web hosting, or managing infrastructure, as DNS is fundamental to internet connectivity and service discovery. It's essential for tasks like setting up custom domains, implementing load balancing, or troubleshooting network issues in cloud deployments or microservices architectures.