What is a DNS Cache?

A DNS cache (sometimes called a DNS resolver cache) is a temporary database, maintained by a computer's operating system. A DNS cache contains records of all recent visits and attempted visits to Websites and other Internet domains.

The Internet relies on the Domain Name System (DNS) to maintain an index of all public Websites and their corresponding IP addresses. Every time a user visits a Website by its name, the user's Web browser initiates a request out to the Internet, but this request cannot be completed until the Web site name is converted into an IP address. That conversion process (called : name resolution) is the job of DNS, and it takes time. A DNS cache attempts to speed up the process by handling the name resolution before the request is sent out to the Internet.

Updated on: 21/06/2022