On the
Internet, the
Domain Name Server (DNS) associates various sorts of information with so-called
domain names; most importantly, it serves as the "
phone book" for the Internet by translating human-readable computer
hostnames, e.g.
en.wikipedia.org, into the
IP addresses, e.g.
66.230.200.100, that networking equipment needs to deliver information. It also stores other information such as the list of
mail exchange servers that accept
email for a given domain. In providing a worldwide
keyword-based redirection service, the Domain Name Server is an essential component of contemporary
Internet use.