Simone Lawson
A domain name is the address of a website, and it is what people type into their web browsers to find a specific website. It is a text-based label that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. It is often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS). They are often used to establish a unique identity and are usually easy to recognize and memorize.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Identify Internet resources, such as computers, networks, and services |
| Format | Text-based label that is easier to memorize than numerical addresses |
| Function | Provide easily recognizable and memorable names to numerically addressed Internet resources |
| Registration | Can be registered for a maximum of ten years |
| Structure | Three-part structure: Top-Level Domain (TLD), Second-Level Domain, and optionally a Third-Level Domain |
| TLD Examples | com, info, net, org, edu, gov, mil, int, club, us, in, jp |
| Business Considerations | Use the name of the business, include location, and register across multiple TLDs to prevent others from purchasing identical domain names |
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What You'll Learn
Top-level domains (TLDs)
The main types of TLDs are generic TLDs (gTLDs), country-code TLDs (ccTLDs), sponsored TLDs (sTLDs), and reserved TLDs. gTLDs are some of the more common domain names seen on the web, such as 'com', 'net', and 'org'. ccTLDs are reserved for use by countries, sovereign states, and territories, such as 'uk', 'au' (Australia), and 'jp' (Japan). Sponsored TLDs represent professional, ethnic, or geographical communities and have a delegated sponsor that represents that community. Reserved TLDs are not used for public-facing websites but are used for testing and documentation, such as '.localhost'.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has authority over all TLDs used on the Internet and delegates responsibility for these TLDs to various organizations. A list of all valid top-level domains is maintained by the IANA and is updated periodically. As of April 2021, the IANA Root Zone Database listed 1,502 top-level domains, including active, reserved, retired, and special-use domains.
The choice of TLD can be overwhelming for someone registering a new domain name. While 'com' was previously seen as the only option for serious businesses, this perception has shifted as the supply of '.com' domains decreases and newer TLDs gain popularity. Today, businesses have the option to create clever and memorable domain names using alternative TLDs.
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Second-level domains
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. They are used to identify Internet resources, such as computers, networks, and services, with a text-based label that is easier to memorise than the numerical addresses used in Internet protocols.
In the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy, a second-level domain (SLD or 2LD) is a domain that is directly below a top-level domain (TLD). For example, in "example.com", "example" represents the second-level domain, and "(dot)-com" represents the TLD. The SLD is usually the portion of the URL that identifies the website's domain name.
Some domain name registries introduce a second-level hierarchy to a TLD that indicates the type of entity intended to register an SLD under it. For example, in the .uk namespace, a college or other academic institution would register under .ac.uk ccSLD, while companies would register under .co.uk. Strictly speaking, domains like .ac.uk and .co.uk are second-level domains themselves, since they are right below a TLD.
In Turkey, domain registrations, including the registration of second-level domains, are administered by TRABİS. There are 22 active second-level domains under the .tr TLD, including .com.tr for commercial ventures, .edu.tr for academic institutions, and .name.tr for personal use. Turkey's second-level domains also include gov.tr (reserved for the Government of Turkey and state institutions/organisations), mil.tr (reserved for the Turkish Armed Forces), and pol.tr (reserved for the General Directorate of Security and police).
A two-letter second-level domain is formally reserved for each U.S. state, federal territory, and the District of Columbia. Some second-level domains under .au are no longer available, including .conf.au (originally intended for conferences) and .gw.au (for the Australian Academic and Research networks).
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Third-level domains
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are used to identify services provided through the internet, such as websites, emails, and more. They are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS).
The domain name system has two main groups of domains: country code top-level domains (ccTLD) and generic top-level domains (gTLD). The former is based on the two-character territory codes of ISO-3166 country abbreviations, while the latter represents a set of categories of names and multi-organizations. Examples of gTLDs include com, info, net, edu, and org.
When choosing a domain name, it is important to consider its impact on the appearance of the website address, the site's visibility on search engines, and brand image.
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Hostnames
A hostname is a label assigned to a device connected to a computer network to identify it across various forms of electronic communication, such as the Internet. Hostnames are designed to be memorable and easily readable by humans, as opposed to IP addresses, which are long strings of numbers used by devices to connect.
Each hostname is associated with at least one numeric network address, or IP address, for routing packets and performance optimisation. When a domain name is fully specified, including the top-level domain of the Internet, the hostname is called a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
The format of hostnames must adhere to certain standards. Each label in a hostname must be 1 to 63 octets long, and the entire hostname, including delimiting dots, is limited to 253 ASCII characters. The labels may only contain the ASCII letters "a" through "z" (case-insensitive), digits from "0" to "9", and the hyphen-minus character ("-"). While the original specification required labels to start with an alphabetic character and not end with a hyphen, subsequent specifications have allowed labels to start with digits.
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Generic top-level domains (gTLDs)
The core group of generic top-level domains consists of domains such as .com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info. These domains are open to use for any purpose. Other popular gTLDs include .gov, .edu, .mil, and .int, which are now considered sponsored top-level domains. Some gTLDs are restricted, requiring proof of eligibility within the guidelines set for each. For example, the domains .name and .pro are restricted to specific types of registrants.
The introduction of gTLDs has allowed for more creativity and specificity in domain names. Niche extensions like .consulting, .art, or even .wtf are now possible, giving websites a unique identity and helping Internet users find them easily. This also allows companies and organizations to choose essentially arbitrary top-level Internet domains that align with their brand and industry.
ICANN's new gTLD Program has opened up applications to expand the inventory of gTLDs. This is expected to result in more than 1,300 new names becoming available. Proponents of the new gTLDs argue for a variety of models, including unrestricted gTLDs and chartered gTLDs for specialized uses by specialized organizations.
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Frequently asked questions
A domain name is the address of a website. It is what people type into their web browsers to find a website.
A domain name generally has a three-part structure: Top-Level Domain (TLD), Second-Level Domain (SLD), and Subdomain. For example, in the URL https://www.example.com, the complete domain name is "www.example.com". The subdomain is "www", the SLD is "example", and the TLD is ".com".
There are two main types of TLDs: generic TLDs (gTLDs) and country code TLDs (ccTLDs). Examples of gTLDs include ".com", "info", "net", "edu", and "org." ccTLDs are based on country codes, such as .us for the United States, .in for India, or .jp for Japan.
Businesses typically choose domain names that are the same as their business name and are simple, recognizable, and easy to remember. It is also common to include the location in the domain name if the business caters to a specific region.
Registering your domain name across multiple TLDs can help prevent others from purchasing the same domain name with a different TLD. This can also help avoid copyright issues. Additionally, certain TLDs are restricted to specific types of organizations, such as .edu for educational institutions.
