What service does DNS provide?

The service that DNS provides is the resolution of domain names into IP addresses. This function is critical for the usability of the internet, as it translates user-friendly domain names, such as www.example.com, into the numerical IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1) that computers use to communicate with each other. Without DNS, users would have to remember complex numerical addresses to access websites instead of simple and memorable domain names.

The ability to resolve these names allows users to access resources on the internet more easily, as it abstracts the underlying numerical addressing that is inherent to networking. This process involves querying DNS servers, which maintain a database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses, and returning the appropriate address to the client requesting the information.

The other options provided relate to different networking functionalities that DNS does not encompass. For instance, encrypting network traffic is handled by protocols like SSL/TLS, while assigning IP addresses is typically done by DHCP. Monitoring network performance involves different tools and methods that track bandwidth usage, latency, and other metrics, separate from DNS functions. Thus, the primary role of DNS is precisely the resolution of domain names into IP addresses.