Which protocol is primarily used for name resolution on the internet?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the protocol primarily used for name resolution on the internet. It translates human-readable domain names, such as www.example.com, into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network. This process enables users to access websites using easily memorable names instead of having to remember numeric IP addresses.

DNS operates on a hierarchical system of servers that manage and cache the IP address information for domain names, making the name resolution process efficient. The protocol is integral to how the internet functions, as it supports the usability of web browsing, email delivery, and various other services relying on human-friendly identifiers.

In contrast, other options like HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is used for transferring web pages, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is designed for transferring files, and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a transport layer protocol that ensures reliable data transmission over networks. While they each play crucial roles in network communications, none of them serve the specific function of resolving domain names to IP addresses, which is the essential task performed by DNS.