Which network protocol translates domain names such as example.com into IP addresses?

The Domain Name System translates domain names such as example.com into IP addresses.

DNS lets people use memorable names while computers locate services through numerical addresses. A resolver usually asks a hierarchy of DNS servers, beginning with root servers and continuing through top-level-domain and authoritative servers. The resulting record may be cached for a period controlled by its time to live.

DNS is central to normal internet use, but it also matters in security. Attackers can abuse look-alike domains, hijack records, or use DNS queries for command-and-control traffic. DNS Security Extensions add digital signatures that help validate authentic responses, although they do not encrypt ordinary DNS queries.

DNS is often confused with a web protocol. It helps find a website, while HTTP or HTTPS carries the web content after the destination is located.