What is a Domain?
A domain is a
network
of
computers
and
devices
that are controlled by ane set authority and take specific guidelines. More specifically
, a domain is controlled by one particular company that has its ain net presence and
IP accost
. The domain is labeled by its
domain proper name
, such as Webopedia or webopedia.com.
History of Domains
Before the introduction of the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1983, users would access dissimilar addresses on computer networks through a host’s numerical address. Every estimator on the network could then access files from the host by using said numerical addresses.
However, this procedure did not scale well and made public access difficult. Therefore, the Domain Name Arrangement was introduced on ARPANET, a projection that was essentially the foundation for the internet.
How Do Domains Work?
Domain Name System servers
translate a domain proper noun request from an net user into an IP address the computer can read. The DNS server then connects the user to the
website
for the IP address it finds inside server records.
Registering Your Domain
When building a website, choosing and registering a domain name is ordinarily the first pace. The process of registering a domain name is described beneath.
-
Find a Domain Proper noun Registrar:
Domain proper noun registrars, such as GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Domain.com, sell and manage domain names. -
Search for a Domain Name:
Here, you can use your domain proper name registrar to search for an available domain name. Make sure to contain of import keywords when advisable. -
Cull a Domain Name Suffix:
After you’ve chosen a domain proper name, the next step is to cull a suffix. The most popular is .com, but other mutual ones in the U.S. include .net and .org. -
Purchase a Domain Proper noun:
Once you’ve called your domain proper name and suffix, you need to purchase it through the domain registrar. What usually happens is you pay for the domain for a twelvemonth and and then consistently pay to renew it. -
Include Domain ID protection:
When registering a domain name, you must include data like name, phone number, physical address, and email address, which volition become public once your domain name has been registered. To protect yourself, yous tin buy domain privacy, which will shield your information from spammers or identity thieves.
Not sure where to register your domain? Enterprises have many different, affordable options when it comes to domain name registrars. For example, customers can purchase a domain proper noun from Google Domains for every bit lilliputian as $seven/twelvemonth.
Different Types of Domains
Besides levels, there are as well dissimilar types of top-level domains (TLDs). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for maintaining a list of all active TLDs. This includes generic top-level domains (gTLD), new summit-level (nTLDs) domains, and land code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) names.
gTLD (Generic Tiptop-level Domains)
A gTLD represents the most common meridian-level domains. Examples include .com, .org, and .net. gTLDs often correlate with the types of companies and organizations that bought them, like .com is frequently associated with for-profits, and .org is often associated with not-profits. However, technically anyone can buy whatsoever blazon of gTLD.
nTLD (New Top-level Domains)
In 2011, ICANN introduced nTLDs. An nTLD is a domain name geared toward brands, organizations, and services. These are more customizable and let your domain proper noun be more relevant to your website. Some examples include .voyage, .ninja, and .app.
Originally, there were a total of 22 gTLDs. Still, through looser policies, ICANN allowed for the creation of over 1,200 nTLDs and allows for the creation of over one,000 nTLDs per yr.
ccTLD (Country Code Top-level Domains)
A
ccTLD
refers to a ii-letter domain extension, similar .uk (United Kingdom) or .fr (French republic). These are commonly assigned to geographic locations like countries or territories. At that place are currently more than 250 ccTLDs listed by ICANN. Webopedia has a complete list of ccTLDs grouped by letter:
-
A – E ccTLDs
(71) -
F – L ccTLDs
(66) -
Grand – R ccTLDs
(56) -
S – Z ccTLDs
(59)
Different Levels of Domains
Domain levels refer to the unlike parts of a domain name. Technically at that place is no limit to the number of domain levels that can be. All the same, the most well-known include the sub, 2nd-level, and pinnacle-level domains.
Pinnacle-level domains
(TLDs) are the highest-ranking domains on the internet. TLDs are labeled by the extension of their domain names, such every bit .com, .org, or .internet. Second-level domains are the names direct to the left of .com, .net, and the other summit-level domains. For example, for webopedia.com, “.com” is top-level, and “webopedia” is second-level. Subdomains are what is to the left of the 2d-level domain. For instance, this tin be the “world wide web” in front end of “webopedia,” or if you host a weblog on the subdomain, and the domain proper name is web log.webopedia.com, the “web log” would be the subdomain.
Application Domains and Alternative Definitions
application domain
applies to a specific
software awarding
and separates it clearly from other applications. A domain-specific language (DSL) is a
programming linguistic communication
designed only for 1 detail domain. For case,
SQL
(structured query language) is a domain-specific language for
database
management. It applies simply to sure databases.
A domain in general calculator terminology is also the range of values that belong to a specific aspect—for case, the range that applies to certain
information types
. Within a
Google
Sheet
, the list of possible values that the user has designated for a specific column is that column’due south domain.
Learn nigh superlative Domain Proper name Registrars here.
The contents of this definition were updated by Shelby Hiter.
