In this blog post, we’ll look at the Meaning of Domain name and various facets of that topic. Domain names can be said as the name and address by which your website is recognized.
Table of Contents
Meaning of Domain
In today’s Internet-paced world, a domain name is the primary component of the Internet’s addressing system which facilitates converting complex computer-readable IP addresses into human-readable easy-to-understand websites or online service names. A domain name can be the name and address by which your website is searched and identified. A domain name is a set of text (e.g.: www.kashishclothing.com) that directs to an alphanumeric IP address(e.g.: 12:16:68 ), used to view and access a website requested on the browser. The creation of a domain name was based on the complexity that came along with remembering the tangled set of numerical strings for viewing and accessing any website.
A domain name structure is typically opposite from that of others. It starts from right to left showcasing the most generic term on the right and the most specific time on the left. Let’s get a deeper look at it and understand it with the help of an example: Suppose there’s a website “blog.vcclhosting.com”
- “.com” is a top-level domain which is very generic and is often used for linking any country or an organization
- “vcclhosting” is the second-level domain it often typically represents the name of the company
- “.blog” highlights the specific purpose of the website which in this case is the written blog
How does domain name work
- Entering the Web Address: Imagine you want to visit a website, like “www.example.com.” You type this into your web browser.
- Finding the Location: Your computer doesn’t know where “www.example.com” is located on the internet. So, it sends a question to a special computer called the “DNS server.” It’s like asking for directions.
- Getting the Address: The DNS server knows the actual address (a series of numbers) for “www.example.com.” It’s like the DNS server saying, “Oh, I know where that is!” It sends you the address.
- Knocking on the Door: Now that you have the address, your computer goes to that place on the internet. It’s like finding a house using an address.
- Getting What You Asked For -When your computer reaches that place (a web hosting server), it asks for the website you wanted (the web page). It’s like knocking on the door and saying, “I’d like to see the website, please!”
- Receiving and Showing: The web hosting server, like a friendly host, gives your computer the web site’s content (like text, images, and videos). Your computer takes this content and displays it on your screen, so you can see and interact with the website.
Types of Domain Extensions
Types of domain name extensions
A domain name is formed by two parts the name of your business and extension. For eg: www.vcclhosting.com where vcclhosting is the name of the business and the second-level domain while “.com” is the extension and is the top-level domain
| POINT | MEANING | EXTENSION |
| Generic top-level | This is the most commonly used category of extension, it was initially started for various other purposes but now is used for all kinds of websites. | .com: It was originally intended for commercial entities but now is widely used for various purposes. It’s the most popular and adaptable org: It was originally meant for nonprofit organizations, but it’s now used by a wide range of entities, including NGOs .net: It was initially meant for network-related organizations but is now used by various businesses, e-commerce sites, and even blogs.info: It was created and meant for informational websites and now is often used for general purposes |
| Country codetop-level | This kind of top-level domain specifies an organization’s country. Often such websites are also restricted to their own country’s jurisdiction only. | .us: United States. .uk: United Kingdom. .ca: Canada |
| Sponsored top-level | This kind of top-level domain is used for specific criteria and purposes. | .gov: It can only be used by U.S. government agencies. .edu: It is restricted to educational institutions in the United States. .mil: It is reserved for the U.S. military and can’t be used for any other purpose.aero: It is limited to the aviation industry and can’t be used by any other industry. |
| New top-level | Due to the restriction of sponsored TLDs and lack of availability & limited options, there was the introduction of new top-level domains. This has helped increase diversity and enhance the distinctness of each niche. | .app: For mobile apps and developers. .blog: For blogs and bloggers. .tech: For technology-related websites. .guru: For experts and professionals. .design: For design-related businesses. |
| Infrastructure top-level domains: | These are not the typical TIds used for standard website registrations. They are reserved for performing specific technical functions that are essential for the operation of the DNS and other critical Internet services. | .arpa: The most well-known Infrastructure TLD is used for the Address and Routing Parameter Area. It supports the DNS lookup system, which helps in translating IP addresses back into domain names. This is important for tasks like verifying the ownership of addresses and responding to search requests. |
| Reserved and Special-Use TLDs: | These are the kind of top-level domains that are used for a specific function and have separate rules and limitations, which means it is not meant for the public but for another specific purpose. | .test: It is reserved for testing purposes. .localhost: It is reserved for local network testing and development. |
| Brand top-level domains: | Some major brands have obtained their specific TLDs to make their website and products distinct from those of others. | Google has the extension “.google“ Apple has the extension “.apple“ |
| Geo top-level domains: | There are certain websites and their extensions that are useful and also restricted up to their geographical location. Hence they have their extension that is specified and limited up to their coordinates | “.nyc” for New York City “.paris” for Paris. |
| International top-level domain name: | This kind of domain is allowed to have non-English alphabetical extensions in various forms like Cyrillic, Arabic, and Chinese, that can be used for localizing the extension to the national and local language of that country | “.рф” for Russia and “.中文网” for Chinese websites. |
Overview of Domain Name System
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical system that converts domain names that can be read by humans, like www.systum.com, into IP addresses that computers can use to identify one another on the internet, such as 192.0.2.1. It ranks among the world’s biggest databases. It acts as the internet’s universal address book, enabling users to enter domain names to access websites and services. Your computer asks DNS servers when you enter a domain name to determine the accompanying IP address. For a variety of websites, DNS also provides other record types, and mail servers (MX records). DNS is essential to the operation of Internet-based services
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Also Read: Top Difference between Web Hosting and Domain