What is domain name?

One of the most important pillars of the internet is the domain name. You might have heard of them before or even read about them on the internet numerous times. But what exactly is a domain? This article will explain precisely what a domain name is and what it is used for.

If you are looking for a simple explanation we could consider a domain the name that identifies a particular computer on the internet. Domain names are nothing more than a sequence of numbers that make up an IP addresses. The domain name in text form, as we are more accustomed to see on the internet, is preferred since it is easier to remember, but it is exactly the same as the numeric version. This specific type of domain name is also commonly referred to as hostname.

To purchase a domain name you need to acquire the services of what is commonly called a domain name registrar. These businesses offer their clients the opportunity to purchase and register a domain name for a yearly fee. Prices vary considerably between the various registrars especially depending on the top-level domain preferred. The top-level domain is the last part of a domain name. This might seem rather complicated, but it really isn’t. For example, on the domain name www.yoursite.com, the top-level domain is (.com). Currently there are three types of top-level domains available. They are the country top-level domains (.us), generic top-level domains used normally by certain organizations (.biz) and the less commonly used infrastructure top-level domains (.arpa). If you are interested in starting a website you won’t have two worry about the last option, most people usually purchase a country or generic top-level domain which can be acquired using one of the many domain name registrar available on the internet.

Now that we have determined that a domain name is in fact the location of a site, or at least part of it, we can take a look at the following example (http://www.yoursite.com). We know that yoursite.com is the domain name and (.com) the top-level domain. But when everything is connected like (http://www.yoursite.com) it is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

As you can see, domain names are extremely important for the survival of the internet. Without them organizing or even finding a site on the internet would be quite impractical. Thanks to domain names, the internet is a more enjoyable experience.