Uses of DNS
The classic use of DNS is to translate the domain name in a URL into a corresponding IP address.
What is DNS Used For?
- Resolving names of World Wide Web (WWW) sites
- Routing messages to email servers and webmail services
- Connecting app servers, databases and middleware within a web application
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
- Peer-to-peer sharing programs
- Multiplayer games
- Instant messaging and online meeting services
- Communication between IoT devices, gateways and servers
Next-Generation Uses of DNS
DNS has evolved over the past 20 years. Next-generation DNS services such as NS1 which provide advanced traffic routing capabilities have created new uses for DNS:
- Global server load balancing (GSLB) - fast routing of connections between globally distributed data centers
- Multi CDN - routing users to the CDN that will provide the best experience
- Geographical routing - identifying the physical location of each user and ensuring they are routed to the nearest possible resource
- Data center and cloud migration - moving traffic in a controlled manner from on-premise resources to cloud resources
- Internet traffic management - reducing network congestion and ensuring traffic flows to the appropriate resource in an optimal manner
