What type of address does DNS primarily resolve?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is primarily designed to resolve hostnames into IP addresses. This function is essential for the operation of the internet because while users typically remember domain names like "example.com," network devices use numerical IP addresses to identify each other. When a user enters a hostname into a web browser, DNS translates that human-friendly name into an IP address that computers and networking equipment can understand, facilitating the connection to the correct server.

Understanding DNS's role in converting hostnames to IP addresses helps clarify its function in networking and the internet as a whole. By resolving hostnames, DNS enables users to navigate the web without needing to memorize complex and lengthy numeric addresses. Other types of addresses, such as MAC addresses and subnet masks, serve different purposes in networking and are not the primary focus of DNS.