DNS stands for “Domain Name System” or “Domain Name Server”. DNS takes a domain name, such as cleanbrowsing.org, translates it to an IP address (e.g., 1.2.3.4).
This IP address is similar to the “address” you might provide for your home. It points to the server, somewhere on the internet, being used by that domain.
This translation makes it so that we, as online users, do not have to remember an IP address, instead we can remember a name that we are accustomed to.
A lot of the heavy lifting is already done for you via the network you are on. This is why you’re able to open a browser and type in “cleanbrowsing.org” and our website appears.