# Domain Name System (DNS) Architecture & Deployment <!-- .element: class="subtitle" --> **Notes:** Learn the basics of the [Domain Name System (DNS)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System) and configure a domain name for your server with [Gandi.net](https://www.gandi.net/). **You will need** - A server with a public IP address - A Gandi account that is the administrator or technical contact for a domain **Recommended reading** - [Unix Networking](../unix-networking/) --- ## What is the Domain Name System?  --- ### Domain name system  **Notes:** The [**Domain Name System (DNS)**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System) is a hierarchical decentralized naming system for computers connected to the Internet or a private network. Most prominently, it **translates human-readable domain names** (like `google.com`) **to numerical IP addresses** (like `40.127.1.70`) needed for locating computers with the underlying network protocols. The Domain Name System has been an essential component of the functionality of the Internet since 1985. --- ### DNS hierarchy <p class="center"><img class="w80" src="images/dns-hierarchy.png"></p> [ICANN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICANN) manages [top-level domains (TLDs)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain). **Notes:** Second-level domains are delegated to other organizations. You can buy your own [generic top-level domain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_top-level_domain) since 2012 for $185,000. --- ### DNS zone  **Notes:** A [DNS zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_zone) is a subset of the domain name space for which administrative responsibility has been delegated to a single manager. For example, Microsoft has purchased the rights to manage the `microsoft.com` domain and all its subdomains from the manager of the `.com` [top-level domain (TLD)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain). Once they have those rights, they can create any number of subdomains for their business needs. You can also purchase a domain name as an individual, giving you the right to manage that portion of the DNS hierarchy. [dns]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System [dns-zone]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_zone [gandi]: https://www.gandi.net/ [gtld]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_top-level_domain [icann]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICANN [tld]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain
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