Domain names are basically easy-to-remember shortcuts to numeric IP addresses. So when you type in “yourname.com”, your browser really wants to connect to the associated numeric IP address. DNS, the Domain Name System, is what connects the human-preferred domain names with the computer-preferred IP addresses.
When visitors enter your domain name into a Web browser, the browser request uses your domain name to find the domain name’s associated IP address and, therefore, the website. People use domain names instead of IP addresses because it is easier to remember a name rather than a series of numbers.
Your domain name and its associated IP address are stored in a common database along with every other domain and associated IP address that are accessible via the Internet.