The "father of DNS" is widely recognized as Paul Mockapetris.
Mockapetris is credited with inventing the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1983, significantly contributing to the expansion and usability of the internet. Prior to DNS, networks relied on host files, which became impractical as the internet grew.
Here's a breakdown of his contribution:
- Problem: Early internet relied on a single HOSTS.TXT file to map names to IP addresses. This system was centralized, difficult to manage, and didn't scale.
- Solution: Mockapetris designed a distributed, hierarchical system known as DNS.
- Key Features of DNS:
- Domain Names: Hierarchical and human-readable names (e.g., example.com) replaced numerical IP addresses.
- Distributed Database: Information is spread across numerous servers, improving reliability and scalability.
- Name Resolution: DNS servers translate domain names into IP addresses, enabling users to access resources by name.
Because of DNS, the internet became much more user-friendly, as it allowed average users to connect to servers without needing to memorize IP addresses, opening the doors to exponential growth of the internet we know today.
