Domains are the real estate of the internet
Domains are unique namespaces on the internet. Every combination of characters constituting a domain name can EXIST ONLY ONCE (like an address or telephone number) - and can ONLY HAVE ONE OWNER.
The word "domain" comes from the in Latin related words dominium ("property") and domus ("house").
"Internet Domain" literally means "Internet Property".
The namespace of a domain consists of the domain name, all its subdomains and associated email addresses.
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ABOUT INTERNET REAL ESTATE
Domain Name Registry
The Domain Name Registry is like the land registry of the internet - when you "buy" a Domain, you license a namespace on the internet (a domain and all it's subdomains) - the lease generally has to be renewed every year. A typical renewal fee is between 10-70€ per year (depending on TLD).
*most internet registrars offer "domain auto renewal" - so the lease on your domain is renewed automatically every year (as long as the payment goes through, so keep your credit card charged / your payment method current and liquid).
Domain Name Structure
The Domain Name consists of a SLD (second level domain) and a TLD (top level domain).
Licensing a Domain Name includes all possible subdomains (third level domain).
TLD
(top level domain)
The Top Level Domain (TLD) is sometimes referred to as the "extension". It is the highest hierarchical level of the naming system of the internet.
There are 3 types of TLDs in existence: "original gTLD", "ccTLD" and "new gTLD".
original gTLD (original generic TLD)
The original/historic gTLD were released in 1985 - the advent of the internet. They are the most recognizable.
.com (commercial)
Released in 1985 the .com-TLD was originally intended for commercial use, but it since then it opened up for general purpose. The .com-TLD has since the advent of the internet been the most popular TLD, it dwarves every other TLD in domain count.
.net (network)
The .net-TLD was originally intended for network technology organisations, but since then it opened up for general purpose. It is the second most popular gTLD.
.org (organisation)
The .org-TLD is intended for organisations, but has no restrictions for registration.
.gov (US-govenment)
Restriced TLD, only US-government organisations are eligible for registration (examples: Whitehouse.gov, CIA.gov, NASA.gov, CDC.gov, etc.)
.edu (education)
Restriced TLD, only US-educational institutions are eligible for registration (examples: Harvard.edu, MIT.edu, Stanford.edu, Berkeley.edu, etc.)
.mil (US-military)
Restriced TLD, only US-military organisations are eligible for registration (examples: Army.mil, Navy.mil, AF.mil, DARPA.mil, etc.)
.int (international treaty organisations)
Restriced TLD, only international organisations established by an international/intergovernmental treaty are eligible for registration (examples: NATO.int, UN.int, WHO.int, WIPO.int, etc.)
.arpa (ARPANET → Address and Routing Parameter Area )
Restriced TLD, originally the first TLD of the internet (from the precursor ARPANET) - today it is used strictly for the technical infrastructure of the internet and the meaning of the acronym was redefined to "Address and Routing Parameter Area".
In the original gTLD you can see the traces of the advent of the internet. The internet stems from a project of the US-military (DOD) called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) initiated in 1966, which evolved into the internet as we know now.
ccTLD (country code TLD)
The ccTLD also stem from the advent of the internet, these are like the country calling codes of telecommunication, a unique TLD for every country of the world.
Many popular domain endings that are thought to be gTLD are actually ccTLD, like .co (Colombia), .cc (Coconut Islands), .io (British Island Ocean Territory), .me (Montenegro), .ai (Anguilla), etc. - but most ccTLD have no restrictions for registration.
The Diagram below shows the 10 most popular ccTLD compared to the .com-TLD.
new gTLD (new generic TLD)
Since 1997 the governing bodies of the internet IANA and ICANN began issuing new gTLD. Mainly to relieve the pressure of the .com-TLD. Although over 1000+ new gTLD have been added, the .com-TLD is still by far the most popular TLD of the internet, the .com-TLD is "the mainstreet of the internet".
The Diagram below shows the 10 most popular new-gTLD compared to the .com-TLD.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
.COM
"the mainstreet of the internet"
Although there are many TLDs in existence, none is so much associated with the essence of the internet, as the .com-TLD. An internet business is literally referred to as a "DOTCOM". The .com-TLD has the most recognition value and the most customer traffic - thats why the .com-TLD is referred to as
"the mainstreet of the internet". People will enter and browsers will autocomplete the .COM domain.