What is a domain name

Article Talk

Domain name

Also known as

Domain name

Purpose

Human-readable Internet name mapped via DNS

Governing bodies

Name space root

DNS root zone

A domain name is a human-readable label that identifies a resource on the Internet. Instead of remembering numeric IP addresses, people and software use names such as example.com. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates those names into addresses and other records that computers need to connect.^[1]

Anatomy of a fully qualified domain name: subdomain, second-level label, and top-level domain. Diagram: WikiForDomains (CC0).

How DNS works

When software looks up a name, a stub resolver on the device usually asks a recursive resolver (often run by an ISP or public DNS provider). That resolver walks the DNS hierarchy: it queries a root nameserver, then a TLD nameserver (for example for .com), then the authoritative nameserver for the registered domain, which returns the final answer (such as an A or AAAA record).^[1]^[2]

Simplified recursive DNS lookup from stub resolver through root, TLD, and authoritative servers. Diagram: WikiForDomains (CC0).

Parts of a domain name

Top-level domain (TLD) — the right-most label (.com, .uk, .ai). Managed under policies coordinated by ICANN/IANA for gTLDs and by country managers for many ccTLDs.^[3]
Second-level domain (SLD) — the label registered by a customer (the example in example.com).
Subdomain — optional left-hand labels (www, mail) created by the registrant in DNS.

Registry, registrar, and registrant

Registry — operates a TLD zone (for example Verisign for .com/.net).^[4]
Registrar — an ICANN-accredited (or ccTLD-accredited) company that sells registrations to the public.
Registrant — the person or organisation that holds the registration contract for a name.

See also practical buying guides: How to buy a domain, Domain registrar, and Domain name lifecycle.

See also

References

WikiForDomains (no JavaScript)

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.ai — The .ai domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Anguilla. It is administered by the government of Anguilla.
.au — The .au domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. Policy authority rests with auDA (.au Domain Administration); registry services are operated by Identi...
.br — The .br domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Brazil. It is managed under the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) with registry operations by NIC.br.
.ca — The .ca domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Canada. It is operated by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
.cc — The .cc domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Registry services are provided by Verisign.
.ch — The .ch domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Switzerland. It is operated by SWITCH.
.cn — The .cn domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the People's Republic of China. It is administered by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).
.co — The .co domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Colombia. It is widely marketed as a global alternative to .com and is operated commercially (registry services a...
.co.uk (domain) — The .co.uk domain is the primary country code second-level domain (ccSLD) for the United Kingdom. Introduced in 1985, it is managed by Nominet UK and has grown to become one of ...
.com — The .com domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the word commercial.
.de — The .de domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Germany. It is operated by DENIC eG, a non-profit cooperative based in Frankfurt.
.es — The .es domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Spain. It is managed by Red.es.
.eu — The .eu domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union. It is operated by EURid.
.fr — The .fr domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for France. It is operated by AFNIC (Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération).
.in — The .in domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for India. It is operated by the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).
.info — The .info domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) whose name is derived from information. It is operated by Identity Digital (originally launched by Afilias).
.io — The .io domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) originally assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory.
.it — The .it domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Italy. It is managed by Registro.it (IIT-CNR).
.net — The .net domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used in the Internet's Domain Name System. The name is derived from network.
.nl — The .nl domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Netherlands. It is operated by SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland).
.online — The .online domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) operated by Radix.
.org — The .org domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) of the Domain Name System used on the Internet. Its name is truncated from organization.
.pl — The .pl domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Poland. It is operated by NASK.
.ru — The .ru domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Russian Federation. It is coordinated by the Coordination Center for TLD RU.
.shop — The .shop domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended for ecommerce and retail. Its registry operator is GMO Registry.
.top — The .top domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) launched in the 2014 new-gTLD round. Its registry operator is Jiangsu Bangning Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (.TOP Regi...
.uk — The .uk domain is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It is managed by Nominet UK.
.xyz — The .xyz domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) introduced in 2014. It is designed for general, unrestricted use.
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Porkbun — Porkbun (legally Porkbun LLC) is an American ICANN-accredited domain name registrar based in Tigard, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area.[3][4] Founded in March 2015, it i...
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What is a domain name — A domain name is a human-readable label that identifies a resource on the Internet. Instead of remembering numeric IP addresses, people and software use names such as example.co...
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