Domain name system

The DNS server would convert the domain name into the IP adresses that your computer uses to transfer data on the website so you can use it. The domain name may seem unnecessary because it is just the IP adress that is needed but it means that people who use the sight regularly can remember the domain name and access the site more easily. It also means that search engines can find the sites related to what you want to find because IP adresses don't give any information about the sight.

However, the domain name system has some problems, it means that the Internet is centralised around the DNS servers so if the DNS breaks down like it almost did a few years ago then the whole internet could crash.

As a company controls it, it can be controlled by the laws of the countries it is based in so could mean that not everyone can share information online which was what the Internet was made for.