Which protocol helps network clients find a website using human-readable hostnames?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is essential for translating human-readable hostnames, such as www.example.com, into numerical IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network. When a user enters a web address into their browser, the DNS protocol queries a DNS server for the corresponding IP address and returns it, allowing the browser to connect to the desired website.

This system serves as a directory service for the internet, facilitating easier navigation by users who may not remember the numerical IP addresses of every site they want to visit. It efficiently resolves hostnames to IP addresses, allowing for seamless communication on the internet and local networks.

In contrast, the other options pertain to different functions within networking. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is used for remote access to desktop environments. Traffic mirroring involves duplicating network traffic for monitoring and analysis, and load balancers distribute network or application traffic across multiple servers to ensure reliability and performance. None of these options provide the foundational hostname resolution that DNS does.