How a dns server is queried

I am aware that a DNS server is used to query the IP address of some domain. Let's say a user is navigating to example.com for the first time from his machine/browser. I want to know how the user's browser/machine is able to query the DNS server that is configured in the machine. The DNS server can be default as assigned by the ISP or a custom one (similar to google public DNS such as 8.8.8.8).

1. What type to Query/API call is getting initiated from the browser/machine to the DNS server 8.8.8.8 to resolve example.com? Kindly provide the details of the request signature, protocol, response format, and other details.
2. Can we try this request programmatically using NodeJs or other languages without using any third party library/service provided we have the IP address of the DNS server and the domain name whose IP has to be resolved?