Root name server

[1][2] The use of anycast addressing permits the actual number of root server instances to be much larger, and is 1,733 as of March 4, 2024[update].

This is generally implied rather than explicit, as modern DNS software does not actually require that the terminating dot be included when attempting to translate a domain name to an IP address.

[4] In addition, the ARPA domain is used for technical name spaces in the management of Internet addressing and other resources.

Incorrect or non-existent caching was responsible for 75% of the queries, 12.5% were for unknown TLDs, 7% were for lookups using IP addresses as if they were domain names, etc.

The addition of IPv6 addresses for the root name servers requires more than 512 bytes, which is facilitated by the EDNS0 extension to the DNS standard.

[8] This does not mean that there are only 13 physical servers; each operator uses redundant computer equipment to provide reliable service even if failure of hardware or software occurs.

Additionally, all operate in multiple geographical locations using a routing technique called anycast addressing, providing increased performance and even more fault tolerance.

[citation needed] The function of a root name server may also be implemented locally, or on a provider network.

The root zone file is at the apex of a hierarchical distributed database called the Domain Name System (DNS).

This database is used by almost all Internet applications to translate worldwide unique names such as www.wikipedia.org into other identifiers such as IP addresses.