The Domain Name System (DNS) is the backbone of the internet, acting as a translator between human-friendly domain names (like example.com) and machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1). Without DNS, we would have to remember complex numerical IP addresses to visit websites. DNS works by storing a database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. When you type a domain name into your web browser, your computer queries a DNS server to find the correct IP address. The DNS server then returns the IP address, allowing your browser to connect to the website.