Domain Name
A Domain Name is part of a URL and can be typed into a browser to find a particular web site. When a computer connects to the Internet, it uses a unique IP Address; because IP Addresses can be difficult to remember, the DNS or Domain Name System was put in place to correlate IP Addresses to domain names.[1]
Overview
Any domain name will abide by rules and procedures of the DNS. Domain names are used in various ways, networking contexts and addressing purposes. Depending on the type of domain one chooses to register, there are various features offered, such as: free email services, transfer and renewals, domain name options, DNS services and other such features. The individual host computers over the Internet use domain names in order to identify the host or hostnames. In this way, the hostnames are considered as a component of URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) for Internet resources like websites. However, the domain names are also used to simply identify labels to determine the ownership or maintain control over the resource.
How is a Domain Name Organized?
ICANN represents the ruling body that monitors the domain naming system.
Basically, a domain names consists of an alphanumeric string which is divided into sections from which the most important section are being separated by periods. For instance if we take "icannwiki.com" the most important sections of this domain name are::
- The highest level of domain name also known as Top-Level Domain (TLD): such as ".com" string.
- There are also subdivisions of the TLD depending on the domain name: for instance "icannwiki". There can be more subdivisions of the TLD that form the domain name. [2]
Types of Domain Names
- Generic Top-Level Domain Names
These domain name extensions appeared in the 1980's such as:.com, net, .mobi, etc. Anyone can register a domain name under this extension but these domains have restricted use.
- Country Code Top-Level Domain Names
At country level, there are generic top-level extensions but based on a specific code depending on the country, such as: France -.fr, Romania-.ro, United Kingdom-.uk, etc. According to ICANN the country code managers are the ones responsible with the administration of these specific country codes.
- Sponsored Domain Names
There are cases when top-level domain names may received sponsorship from institutions and various organizations. The difference between generic top-level domain names and sponsored domain names consists of a charter that defines the domain purpose such as: .gov (US government), .edu(US educational organizations),etc.[3]
Domain Name Spelling
Generally, the domain name spelling is organized from right to left, the specific descriptions in the left part of the domain name while general descriptors in the right part. The machine name (WWW) is positioned far left. Dots are being used in order to separate the domain levels.
Domain Name vs. URL
The domain name should not be considered the equivalent of a URL. The domain name is only a component of the URL, while the URL provides more information related to the address, protocol language and other such issues. [4]