What does a website address convert into for network communication?

A website address, commonly referred to as a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) or URL (Uniform Resource Locator), is translated into an IP address for network communication. This conversion is essential because computers and networking devices primarily use numerical addresses to identify each other on a network.

When you enter a website address into a browser, the first step is to resolve that address to an IP address using the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS acts as a directory that maps human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) to machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1). This process allows the user's device to initiate a connection to the appropriate server that hosts the website.

Understanding the role of IP addresses is crucial in network communication, as they ensure that data packets are sent to the correct destinations across networks.