“What is a domain name?” is frequently asked questions by beginners. If you’re just starting out, you might have heard that you need a domain name before you can create a website.
Many those who are unfamiliar, unfortunately, mix up a domain with a website or website hosting provider. All these separate phrases could sound overly complicated if you’re just getting started.
We are going to clarify what a domain name is and how domain names work in this beginner’s guide.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is an unique, easy-to-remember address used for visiting websites such as ‘www.google.com’ and ‘www.gmail.com’. The Domain Name System, or DNS, enables users to access websites using domains.
When using client software to access a website, a domain is a block of text that corresponds to an IP address with an alphanumeric format.
A domain is just the text that a user types into their browser to access a specific website. For example, Google’s domain is “www.google.com”.
The real address of a website is a complicated numerical IP address (such as 192.0.2.2), but thanks to DNS, users can input human-friendly domain and be directed to the websites they are looking for. A DNS lookup is the term for this procedure.
How Domain Names Actually Work?
To know how domain work, let’s take a look at what occurs when you type them into your browser. The Domain Name System (DNS), a global network of servers, receives a request when you input a domain in your web browser.
The request is then forwarded to those name servers by these servers once they have searched for the name servers or DNS servers linked to the domain.
For instance, the name server information for your website might look something like this if it were hosted by Fourty60:
ns1.fourty60.com
ns2.fourty60.com
These name servers are machines that are under your hosting provider’s control. Your request will be forwarded to the computer hosting your website by your hosting company.
A web server is the name of this computer. It is equipped with specialised software, including the well-known web servers Apache and Nginx.
The website and any associated data are now fetched by the web server.
It subsequently transmits this information back to the user’s browser.
Who Manages Domains?
Domains are all managed by domain registries, which delegate domain reservation to registrars. There are already over 320 million registered domain names, and anyone who wants to construct a website can register one with a registrar.
Domain Name Vs URL
The domain of a website appears in a unified resource locator (URL), also known as a web address, along with other details like the protocol and the path.
For instance, in the URL ‘https://f60host.com/google-workspace/’, ‘f60host.com’ is the domain name, ‘https’ is the protocol, and ‘/google-workspace/’ is the path to a particular page on the website.
Parts of Domain Name
Domain names are often divided into two or three parts, with each part separated by a dot. The identifiers in domains are ordered from most generic to most particular when read from right to left.
The top-level domain (TLD) is the area to the right of the final dot in a domain. These include “generic” TLDs like “.com,” “.net,” and “.org,” as well as regional and national TLDs like “.in” and “.uk.”
The second-level domain (2LD) is the domain level that comes after the top-level domain (TLD), while the third-level domain (3LD) is the domain level that comes after the 2LD.
Let’s check out few examples:
For F60Host domain name, ‘f60host.com’:
- ’.com’ is the TLD (most general)
- ’f60host’ is the 2LD (most specific)
But for F60Host UK’s domain name, ‘f60host.co.uk’:
- ’.com’ is the TLD (most general)
- ’.co’* is the 2LD
- ’f60host’ is the 3LD (most specific)
*In this case, the 2LD indicates the type of organization that registered the domain (.co in the UK is for sites registered by companies).
How to keep a Domain Secure
Once a domain has been purchased with a registrar, that registrar is responsible for telling the registrant when their domain is due to expire and offering them the opportunity to renew, ensuring they do not lose their domain.
In certain circumstances, registrars will take advantage of their users’ expired domains by purchasing them as soon as they become available and selling them back to the original registrant at a steep discount.
To prevent these types of predatory practises, it is crucial to select a registrar who is trustworthy and honest.
We hope this article helped you to understand what is a domain name and how does domain name work.
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