Certified Internet Web (CIW) Professional Practice Exam

The technology that allows users to enter a URL instead of an IP address to access a website is DNS, or Domain Name System. DNS operates as a hierarchical system that translates human-friendly domain names, like www.example.com, into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network. This process enables users to navigate the web without needing to remember complex numerical IP addresses, greatly enhancing usability. While HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the protocol used for transferring data over the web, it does not handle the resolution of domain names to IP addresses. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) pertains to securing communications over a computer network, ensuring the safe transmission of data but is not responsible for domain name resolution. NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) is used for reading and sending Usenet articles but is unrelated to accessing websites via URLs. Thus, DNS is the critical technology that makes website navigation user-friendly by allowing the use of memorable domain names.