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Domain names are easy to remember words that we can use to communicate to a DNS server the website we want to visit. The domain name system (DNS) is what translates the friendly name into an IP address. Much like international phone numbers, the domain name system gives each server a memorable and spellable address, like lifewire.com. The domain name hides the IP address that most people do not want to see or use, such as the address 151.101.101.129.121 used by lifewire.com. In other words, it is much easier to type lifewire.com into your browser than to remember and enter the IP address that the site uses. That's why domain names are so incredibly useful.
When you access the Web site using the domain name, the Web browser communicates with the DNS server to understand the IP address that Web sites use. The browser can then communicate directly with the web server using the IP address. Domain names are organized from right to left, with general descriptors on the right and specific descriptors on the left. It's like family names on the right and specific people's names on the left. These descriptors are called domains. The top-level domain (TLD or parent domain) is on the far right of a domain name. The middle level domains (children and grandchildren) are in the middle. The machine name, often www, is on the far left. All this combined is what is called the fully qualified domain name.