What is a Domain Name?
The internet is a vast resource of information and finding a website without knowing its address is difficult. Similar to how a physical address help in finding someone’s house, an IP address (or Internet Protocol) is necessary for finding a website on the internet. However, IP addresses consist of a series of numbers that are difficult for users to recall. This is where the Domain Name System (DNS) plays a crucial role in resolving this issue. DNS converts these complex numerical addresses into user-friendly names known as domain names.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is a crucial component of the internet that serves as a user-friendly text string mapping to an alphanumeric IP address. This allows users to access websites through client software by simply typing the domain name into a browser window. For example, the domain name for Google is ‘google.com’.
Behind the scenes, websites actually have complex numerical IP addresses (e.g. 192.0.2.2), but thanks to the Domain Name System (DNS), users can enter human-friendly domain names and be directed to the desired websites. This process is known as a DNS lookup.
Who manages domain names?
Domain names are managed by domain registries, which delegate the reservation of domain names to registrars. Individuals looking to create a website can select a registrar to register a domain name, with over 300 million domain names currently registered.
What is the difference between a domain name and a URL?
It is important to note the distinction between a domain name and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL, also known as a web address, includes the domain name of a site along with additional information such as the protocol and path. For instance, in the URL “https://codesandpixels.com/blog, ‘codesandpixels.com’ represents the domain name, ‘https’ is the protocol, and ‘/blog/’ is the path leading to a specific page on the website.
Most popular generic TLDs:
.com – originally designed for commercial websites, but has since become the most widely used top-level domain (TLD), with nearly half of all websites utilizing it.
.net – a viable alternative to .com and is well-suited for businesses across various industries.
.org – primarily intended for non-profit organizations. It is the second most popular TLD, following .com.
Industry-specific TLDs such as .art, .travel, .shop, and .tech have also been gaining popularity in recent years.
Country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)
A ccTLD represents a particular country or region. It consists of two letters based on the international country codes.
What are the parts of a domain name?
Domain names consist of two or three parts, each separated by a dot. When reading a domain name from right to left, the identifiers go from the most general to the most specific. The section to the right of the last dot in a domain name is known as the top-level domain (TLD). These TLDs can be ‘generic’ such as ‘.com’, ‘.net’, and ‘.org’, or country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) like ‘.uk’ and ‘.jp’.
To the left of the TLD is the second-level domain (2LD), and anything to the left of the 2LD is referred to as the third-level domain (3LD). Let’s explore a few examples:
For Google’s US domain name, it is ‘google.com’:
’.com’ is the TLD
’google’ is the 2LD
But for Google UK’s domain name, ‘google.co.uk’:
’.uk’ is the TLD (country-code top-level domain)
’.co’ is the 2LD
’google’ is the 3LD