A domain name is something that almost every internet user is familiar with. However, what precisely is a domain name and how do they function? Should you have a domain name of your own?

Whatever development career path you choose, it’s critical to comprehend the basics of domain names.

A domain name is a distinctive text string that is used to identify a particular online resource. This could be a website, email, or FTP server, among other things.

A website’s domain name is translated into a string of numbers (an IP address) when you access it, allowing you to communicate with the server to request and receive website content.

Domain names are made for individuals.

Theoretically, when you wish to open a web page on your browser, everything might be managed by merely IP addresses. In actuality, adding a domain name necessitates an additional step since an IP address must be able to be converted from a domain name. (more on that below).

Therefore, why do we even use domain names?

Imagine having to remember someone’s social security number or phone number anytime you wanted to discuss them, instead of their name. Or consider visiting an electronics store and discovering that the brands, product names, or model names are no longer available. Simply put, everything has a serial number that you must keep in mind if you wish to purchase it.

In comparison to recalling strings of digits, humans are far better at remembering names. We discuss memorable brand and product names for this reason, and domain names are used in place of IP addresses.

What is a Domain Name?

Two (or even three) portions of a domain name, each separated by a period, can be used.

Top level domains

The two- or three-letter portion to the right of the dot is known as the top-level domain (TLD). The TLD “.com” appears in the domain name “Codecademy.com”. Other typical TLDs consist of:

.edu (for educational institutions)
.org (usually for non-profit organizations)
.gov (for government organizations)
.net
.io

Since anyone can use the aforementioned TLDs, they are referred to as generic TLDs. However, there are also TLDs that are country-specific, like:

.ca (Canada)
.mx (Mexico)
.de (Germany)
.cn (China)
.jp (Japan)

TLDs are typically more constrained, whereas users have more or less free reign over the other components of their domain name (assuming they aren’t already in use). For instance, in order to register a domain with the.edu TLD in the US, you must be a recognised post-secondary school. Additionally, the most of nations only permit their own individuals or legally registered enterprises to use their TLDs.

Second level domain

What is to the left of the TLD is known as the second-level domain (2LD). In the “Codecademy.com” illustration, “Codecademy” is the 2LD.

Third level domain

Occasionally, a domain name consists of three elements. Specifically, three names divided by two dots. Think of the.co.uk-ending commercial websites in the United Kingdom. As a result, “Google.co.uk” is the third-level domain for Google’s UK website, with “.uk” serving as the TLD and “.co” serving as the second-level domain. (3LD).

Additionally, a 3LD may be used to identify a subdomain. For instance, you would go to “en.Wikipedia.org” to utilise Wikipedia in English. Here, the TLD is “.org,” the 2LD is “Wikipedia,” and the 3LD is “en” (for English). Subdomains are frequently used to differentiate between various services. Consider Google subdomains like drive.google.com or docs.google.com as an illustration.

The DNS is like the internet’s phone book.

Now that you know how domain names work and why we use them, you might be interested in learning how to translate a domain name to an IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) is useful in this situation.

All of the internet’s registered domain names are compiled in the DNS, a global database. Normally, the domain name and an associated IP address are included in a DNS record. Your browser can use the DNS to convert a domain name entered in the address bar into an IP address that it can use to contact a web server and access content.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that there isn’t a single DNS server, let alone a single physical place, for DNS servers. Instead, the DNS is made up of a variety of servers spread out around the globe.

DNS use patterns of your browser

Your browser must exchange information with various DNS servers in order to access an online resource and its content.

What distinguishes a domain name from a URL?

You might be checking the address bar while you read this post to see if it’s all a part of Codecademy’s domain name. You are actually viewing a URL, or universal resource location.

The URL includes the domain name (“Codecademy.com”) as well as the transfer protocol and the path, two crucial pieces of data. You should be aware that some browsers, including Google Chrome, no longer show the complete URL in the address bar. Right-click the address bar and select “Always Show Full URLs” if you’re using Chrome and can’t see the complete URL.

The convention used between the computer and the server on the internet is the transfer protocol (the “https://” to the left of the domain name). (in the case of most web traffic, the very common HTTPS protocol).

A website’s path name contains details about a particular page or file. The URL route, for instance, is anything you can see in your address bar to the right of “Codecademy.com/.”

The URL route for this post is distinct, just like a file path on your computer, and makes it simple for you to return to it later or share it with others on social media.

Web hosting versus domain names

You must first register your domain name and then look for a host for your website if you want to launch your own website.

A web host gives you a location to safely store your website’s information, including your home page, images, blog posts, and any other files that visitors will see. Every time someone accesses your website, the data on your web host’s servers is also being accessed. Your web host’s servers have unique IP addresses just like everything else on the internet.

Although technically doable, it’s getting less and less popular to host your own website on your own computer or business server.

In order for people to be aware that your domain name exists, you must add it to the DNS when you register it. You must register your domain name whether you utilise a web host service or host your own website. Without an IP address, the general public won’t be able to access your website.

Consider it as beginning a real business. You must first register your business by applying for a business name, checking to see if the name is already taken, and obtaining a Tax ID number. But regardless of whether you set aside some space in your home or hire an office, you still need a place to conduct business.

The same task is carried out by a web hosting service. You preserve your domain name even if you decide to switch web hosting companies. The physical server where your website’s files are kept is the only thing that changes.

Register a variety of domain names

Typos happen, even if your domain name is memorable and catchy. The last thing you want is for a hiring manager or prospective client to encounter an error notice after entering your website incorrectly.

Because of this, you want to think about registering domain name variations that send visitors to your website even if they type it incorrectly.

Say your domain ends in “.org,” “.edu,” or “.net,” for example. To stop rivals from doing the same, you might want to think about registering the “.com” variant as well.

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