How To Choose The Right Domain Type Or Domain Name
Knowledge of the hierarchical structure of web addresses and domain extensions can be helpful when it comes to finding the perfect domain. However, you should be careful not to complicate the design of your web projects address unnecessarily. In the end, a domain should always suit you and your project and make it as easy as possible for users as well as search engines to find your pages.
Finally, for this reason, weve summarized some elementary tips and tricks that will make choosing the right type of domain and extension much easier.
The Dns: Phonebook Of The Internet
Now that you understand why we use domain names and the anatomy of a domain name, you might be wondering how to convert a domain name to an IP address. That’s where the Domain Name System comes in.
The DNS is a global database of all the registered domain names on the internet. A DNS record will typically include the domain name and an associated IP address. Through the DNS, your browser can translate a domain name in the address bar into an IP address that it can then use to send requests to the web server and receive webpage content.
What’s important to remember is that there’s no single DNS server or even a single physical location for DNS servers. Instead, the DNS comprises a group of different servers located all around the world.
How To Login Back To Your Local Computer Account
Now, if you want to reach your initial local files and programs stored on the computer away from the domain, heres how you can do it:
- Boot your computer or sign out to your lock screen.
- Select Other user from the bottom-left corner.
- Enter your machine name followed by a backslash then your local user. Enter your local machine password if you had one and press Enter. Here, my computer name was Win10FAQ and the default user on it was Win10FAQ so the resultant is Win10FAQ\Win10FAQ. If yours is Desktop-xxxxxx and your user is Joe for example so youll enter Desktop-xxxxxx\Joe
Read Also: How Long Should A Domain Name Be
Read Also: How To Transfer Domain And Hosting
What Are The Components Of A Domain
When you look at a domains Unique Resource Locator , you typically see something that looks like this: . The https is the protocol used to request the web resource, in this case a website, and the www is a shorthand for communicating that the source is a web address. The www is a common subdomain, but anything can be put here . Examples of other subdomains might be store.example.com or blog.example.com or tigers.example.com.
The rest of the information is specific to your domain, and comprises whats known as the Second Level Domain and the Top Level Domain .
Domain Name Registrars And Registries
We’ve gone over what domain names are, how they work, and why you should have one, but how do you actually get your own domain name? If you think of a catchy name for your personal site or business, how do you get it recorded in the DNS so that people can start using your domain name to access your website?
The truth is that having your own domain name is easier than ever before. Registration fees are only $10â$15 a year, and the registration process is quick and simple. And once you have your own domain name, you have immediate access to all the advantages that come with it.
To understand that better, let’s first go over domain name registrars and registries.
Read Also: How To Redirect A Domain
Whats A Domain Anyway
Its important to understand that every website has an Internet Protocol address , which refers to a unique pairing of numbers connecting web servers to respective computers across the world. These numbers, which are difficult to remember, however, which helps explain the importance of a domain, or domain name they refer to the same thing.
Therefore, a domain helps people find your website, as its attached to your websites IP address, allowing would-be web visitors the ability to remember, search for, and find your website via its unique domain.
In laymans terms, think of a domain as you would the address for your home or apartment. Its a unique identifier for your website in much the same way as your dwelling address is for you. That is, your domain occupies a specific space on the web, a space that no one else can occupy simultaneously. And, like a home address, when people want to visit, they type in the addressdomain nameto ensure they show up at the right location, in this case your website.
The Parts Of A Domain Name
There are typically two parts of a domain: the second-level domain and the top-level domain. If read left-to-right, these parts decrease in specificity.
Second-Level Domain
The second-level domain is the unique identifier for your website. It’s the part of your domain that comes before .com or another extension.
If you’re building a website for your business, consider buying a domain that reflects your business’s name. This will make it easier for people to find your website without needing to spend a lot of time scouring Google for it. For instance, hubspot.coms second-level domain is hubspot.
Top-Level Domain
The top-level domain is the extension, or the part of your domain that comes after your second-level domain.
It specifies what type of entity your organization registers as on the internet. For example, HubSpots top-level domain is .com since were a commercial entity in the United States.
Most American businesses also register their website with .com. In fact, according to data from Verisign, the largest TLD in 2021 was .com, with 158.6 million reported domain names in the domain name base.
Read Also: How To Switch A Domain From One Host To Another
Can You Own A Domain Name
While you hear a lot about people buying, selling, and owning a domain name, the reality is that the registry owns all of its registered domain names.
When you âbuyâ a domain, youâre really leasing it or buying the right to reserve a domain name for your use for a certain amount of time â usually not more than 10 years. Still, itâs always possible to keep renewing a domain name, which means that people and companies can effectively control it indefinitely.
What Is A Forward Lookup Zone
Forward Lookup ZonesForward Lookup Zones allow the DNS Server to resolve queries where the client sends a name to the DNS Server to request the IP address of the requested host. They return the fully qualified domain name of a given IP address. For example, a client could send the IP address of 69.163.
Read Also: Can You Have A Hyphen In A Domain Name
Increase Professionalism With A Domain
An often-overlooked benefit to registering a business domain is the ability to create and use domain-specific email addresses. Many small business owners still use free email services like Gmail or Yahoo to communicate with their customers.
Consumers are becoming more tech-savvy, and they expect the businesses they use to have a certain level of professionalism. In a highly competitive market, small differences like having a business email can be the factor that tips the scale in your favor.
Related: How to use a custom domain name for email
Recursive Resolvers: The Dns Librarian
Let’s go back to the day when you visited Codecademy.com for the very first time. When you typed the domain name into your address bar, your browser had no idea where to go to access our homepage, let alone the webpage of this article. To fix this, the first step is to communicate with a recursive resolver.
Think of a recursive resolver as a librarian whose job is to communicate directly with the other DNS servers and come back to you with the query results. Recursive resolver servers communicate with three other types of DNS servers: root nameservers, TLD nameservers, and authoritative nameservers.
You May Like: How To Create A Business Domain Email
Putting It All Together
Although the URLs we normally enter into our web browsers are the easy-to-remember names like www.lifewire.com, you can instead use the IP address that the hostname points to, like https://151.101.1.121) to access the same website. This is because you’re still accessing the same server either wayone method is just easier to remember.
On that note, if there’s ever some sort of issue with your device contacting a DNS server, you could always bypass it by entering the IP address into the address bar instead of the hostname. Most people don’t keep a local list of IP addresses that correspond to hostnames, though, because after all, that’s the entire purpose of using a DNS server in the first place.
This doesn’t work with every website and IP address since some web servers have shared hosting set up, which means that accessing the server’s IP address through a web browser doesn’t describe which page, specifically, should open.
The “phone book” lookup that determines the IP address based on the hostname is called a forward DNS lookup. The opposite, a reverse DNS lookup, is something else that can be done with DNS servers. This is when a hostname is identified by its IP address. This type of lookup relies on the idea that the IP address associated with that particular hostname is a static IP address.
Domain Names Accomplish Three Things:
- Create a lasting first impression: A domain name is the very first thing a prospective customer will see of your site and its their initial interaction with your brand. A unique or memorable domain name will speak to what they want and stick in their head. An unfitting domain, on the other hand, can turn off prospective customers.
- Define your brand: A domain name can be used to instantly speak to your brand, letting the customers know who you are and what you are selling. A relevant domain name can help key your customers in on your product, or a unique domain name can create a link that associates your name with your product.
- Optimize SEO: Search engine optimization utilizes keywords in order to help your SEO rankings. Exact match domains are not necessary, but it is helpful to use a domain that is close.
You May Like: How To Tell If A Domain Name Is Taken
How Do I Buy A Domain Name
To buy a domainname, simply go to an online domain name registrar, enter the domain name you want to buy, and then pay for some kind of subscription. However, it is not always necessary to go through a registrar. Web hosting providers, such as OVHcloud, allow you to sign up for a hosting solution, and register a domain name at the same time. If you would like to host a domain name with OVHcloud for the creation of a website, donât hesitate to contact us.
You May Like:
You May Like:
What Is A Domain Name Example Domains
A domain name is the address of a website. Itâs the name you type into a web browser to access that specific website. For example, the domain name for freeCodeCamp is freecodecamp.org.
Domain names are important because they make it easy for people to remember the address of your website.
Imagine what would happen if you had to remember the IP address for every website you wanted to visit. It would be a real pain to get around the web.
Don’t Miss: How To Build A Domain Controller
Why Use A Domain Name
Using a domain name isnt exactly mandatory. However, buying one is the only way to gain ownership of a website address. As long as you own the domain, the website and all of its contents are yours to manage as you see fit, or flip for a nice profit.
But there are other reasons to consider getting a domain name.
What Is A Domain Registrar
Domain registrars are empowered to change the domain names registry on behalf of its customerspeople who purchase domain namesand, in addition to selling domain names, the registrar handles records and renewals, as well as transfers to other registrars.
Once you own a domain name, however, you are responsible for making sure the registrar knows where to send requests and for renewal of your domain registration.
Also Check: How To Verify Domain With Google
What Is Computer Domain And Domain Name Definition
domain is a very popular term used in computer and information technology. Users generally do not know or misinterpret the domain keyword meaning. The domain can be used in different areas of computer science. In this tutorial, we will learn Domain meaning and types with the purpose and difference with the Domain and Hosting.
What Is A Subdomain
A subdomain is an optional component that can be added to a domain name to make specific distinctions.
Common subdomains appear as blog. or store. These indicate that youre visiting a separate instance of the main website that can have specific functions. There are no exceptional reasons to create subdomains.
Its somewhat similar in scope to the optional path component of a complete URL address, but the subdomain always appears before the second-level domain.
Subdomains are also referred to as third-level domains.
You May Like: How To Get A Dot Org Domain
How Domains Work
Heres the scenario: You log onto the Web, open an Internet browser and type GrowGreenApples.com in the search bar. Within seconds, the website pops up and youre viewing it to your hearts content. Most people never think about what happens after they type in their search query. It looks a lot like this:
All of this goes on in the background and, if things are working as intended, it appears as though you clapped your hands and the site magically appears on the screen.
What Is The Url
A Uniform Resource Locator is a string of characters in a web browser that tells the server to display a specific resource to an end user. While a URL and domain name have similarities, the URL is much more descriptive. In fact, a URL actually encompasses the domain name.
For example, https://www.godaddy.com/help/what-is-a-url-8809.html is a URL that includes the domain name GoDaddy.com within it. In fact, lets look at the other elements of that URL. It also includes several other components which well dive into below.
The protocol
URLs include schemes or protocols that communicate how to access that specific resource. In the example above, https:// is the protocol. Most web addresses will use either HTTP or HTTPS .
The difference between HTTP and HTTPS is the S which refers to security. HTTPS websites have SSL security which is an encryption that protects the sensitive data of its users. If your site doesnt have an SSL certificate, you should strongly consider adding it because visitors are hyper-aware of their personal data online, and 85 percent of online shoppers will actively avoid an unsecure website.
Related:
The subdomain
A subdomain is an optional part of a URL that creates a completely separate section of your website. If a URL has a subdomain, it will precede the domain name with a period.
For example, Tumblr uses subdomains for each of its users.
- Example.tumblr.com
- Example2.tumblr.com
Related: DNS records A beginners guide
The domain name
The path
You May Like: How To Domain Join A Mac
Whats The Difference Between A Domain Name And A Website
Now that we know more about domain names, we can see that domain names and websites work together but are two distinct things. The domain name is the address or location of your website. The website is everything that resides at that location, including all of the content, images, and other data that visitors see when they visit the site.
Find The Perfect Domain For Your Business
Search, buy, and register your custom domain all in one place. You can then design and publish a professional website to start connecting with customers.
Websites are as important as business cards in the online marketplace, and your domain name plays a key role in communicating your brand. A good domain name lets your potential customers know exactly what you provide.
Recommended Reading: How To Create An Email With A Domain
Read Also: What Is My Ip Domain Name
Caching And Other Shortcuts
Now that you understand how your browser gets an IP address out of a domain name, you may be wondering how long this process takes. With so many back-and-forth queries through the recursive resolver, it can take a few seconds â sometimes more â to load a webpage every time you want to access it. Isn’t there a faster way?
Once you access Codecademy.com or any other website for the first time, the query result is stored locally in your computer’s cache memory. That way, the next time you visit the website on your computer, your browser already knows the IP address associated with its domain. This means it can connect directly with the web server instead of having to start another query with the recursive resolver.
Even if you’re accessing a website for the first time, there’s a chance that the recursive resolver already made a similar query recently. Maybe someone in your neighborhood is also advancing their development career with our courses.
In that case, the recursive resolver will have stored the query results and IP address in its own cache. Instead of going through a whole new DNS query with you, it can then just provide the IP address it got from its last query.