What Is an Internet Domain: Types, Examples, and DNS
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A "domain," in Internet terms, is the name of a website.
A website's name is unique. There cannot be two identical domains. It is true that two similar ones can exist, such as "pepito.com" and "pepito.net", but we immediately notice that part of a domain's name is its "extension." In the first case, ".com," and in the second, ".net." So, we can see that a domain has two parts: its actual name and its extension.
To cite an example of our own, our company Duplika's domain name is "duplika.com".
Like name, like IP...
The domain name has its equivalent in a physical address for a website. In technical jargon, we say that a domain "points to an IP": IP is also a unique number, the identity of the physical computer that hosts the files making up the website. Just as a house requires an address with a ZIP code, a web page needs a domain name to be identified.
Thanks to this identity, in the Internet world a browser can bring text, images, videos, and more from a physical server to our phone or computer. How? Because, based on the domain name—for example, "duplika.com"—our Internet browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) obtains the IP number through an international "directory" called DNS. But we do not want to get too technical just yet, and would rather continue with the practical side, which is very interesting.
Choosing domain extensions
When purchasing a domain name, decisions must be made regarding both parts of the domain: its name and its extension.
"MiEmpresa.com" or "MiEmpresa.com.ar"? The quick answer is another question: will my audience be "limited" to Argentina (com.ar), or is it the entire world (.com)? Keep in mind that trying to cover too much means accomplishing little. Let us remember that anyone from anywhere in the world can visit our website; therefore, the most important thing is to clearly understand our audience so we can optimize our content, improve how we communicate it, and enhance our SEO.
There is no need to point out that Spanish is spoken "differently" in Spain than in Argentina. If our audience is Spanish, there will be "vosotros estáis..." instead of "ustedes están," among thousands of other differences. With this logic, we must evaluate a domain's extension. If it is ".es," the content is written for Spaniards. If it is ".mx," it is for Mexicans, and so on.
But before thinking too much about it, let us always check whether the domain we want is available!
We take care of maintaining your website
I want to check whether my domain is available now!
How do domains work?
Domains are "the human face" of a website. Behind the scenes, a "deliciasdechocolate.com.ar" is converted into an IP number, and thanks to this, a connection is established between a server (computer) and our phone or PC. This connection enables the files that make up the site to be transferred to our device so that we can view and browse the web.
So, there are two clearly differentiated sides interacting with each other: on the one hand, the domain name (the tip of the iceberg, the "what"), and on the other, the web server that hosts the files (the endpoint, "where"). The hosting service—in other words, the "where"—is commonly known as hosting or "web hosting." Next, we will see how to connect both parts.
What is "domain delegation"?
Based on what we have been discussing, the domain name is the human face of a web address. On the other side, there is a physical server identified by its IP number. The process through which we "tie" the first to the second is known as "delegation".
Domain delegation is a virtual procedure for which we only need to know the DNS supplied by our hosting provider. Let us look at it in detail:
Before or after acquiring our domain, we must purchase its web hosting (in fact, this is the service Duplika is best known for). Preferably, we recommend having the hosting ready in advance, precisely because this will allow us to learn the DNS or "domain server names"—primary and secondary—corresponding to the server where we will host our website.
For example, in Duplika's case, the server names are ns1.duplika.com and ns2.duplika.com (primary and secondary—"auxiliary"—server, respectively).
The virtual procedure through which we delegate—link our domain name to the server—varies depending on where we purchased the domain. However, it is essentially always the same. Somewhere, we will be able to "edit" our domain to add this information.
If you prefer to buy a domain with Duplika, the delegation process is carried out for the customer's convenience.
For example, if we purchased a .com.ar domain through nic.ar, the precise instructions can be found here.
If, on the other hand, we acquired our domain name through GoDaddy, after signing in to our account, the process is as follows:
And then:
This is just one example of how to delegate DNS, since each registrar may show different variations of the same process.
Who owns the domains?
When we purchase a domain through a secure and reputable channel, we are the domain's owners. This becomes clear when entering the registered holder's details: ownership of the domain belongs to the person designated as the holder, regardless of who pays with the credit card. If we use an agency or web designer, we must make sure they are purchasing the domain using our details and NOT their own. It is not unusual for an advertising or web development agency to handle the domain name purchase for us, but acquire the domain in ITS name and NOT ours. It is unethical and wrong in every respect, but it has happened and will continue to happen.
But who owns domain names that are still available?
Unclaimed Internet domains are not owned by anyone until someone registers them.
Domain names are essentially leased to individuals or organizations for a specific period of time—generally one to ten years—by domain name registrars.
Domain registries are overseen by an organization called ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). This entity specifies which domain extensions are available (.com, .net, .com.ar, .es, and all the many other extensions that have been created over time). ICANN does not govern the system, but it helps coordinate how IP addresses are provided to prevent duplication or conflicts. ICANN is also the central repository of IP addresses from which ranges are provided to regional registries, which in turn distribute them to network providers.
ICANN does not directly manage registrations: registry operators maintain the databases for each extension, and registrars process registrations, while IANA maintains the database of top-level domains and their managing organizations. We will discuss this later in the article.
How long do I own a domain name?
As long as we renew our domain when its expiration date approaches, we will virtually own it forever. Its expiration date depends on the date on which we purchased it and the length of time for which we purchased it. For example, if we register pepito.com on 03/13/2023 for a period of 5 years, the expiration date will be 03/13/2028.
When purchasing or renewing a domain, we can choose the number of years for which we want to have it. Some registration companies allow you to purchase a domain for a period of up to a decade. Nic.ar in Argentina, however, allows registration for one year.
What happens when I do not renew a domain name?
We lose it. Generally, we will have an additional period (a "grace" period) to renew it, depending on the registrar (15 days or one month). Nic.ar, for its part, explains its renewal policies here.
In general terms, we can always purchase it again (unless a third party does so first). Be aware that certain registrars may keep our domain if they consider it valuable. The goal is to sell it later for more than the usual price. GoDaddy is one of the companies that often engages in these practices when a domain name is "profitable."
Examples of this might include names such as "técnicodeaireacondicionado.com", "encontrarpareja.es", or similar generic names that are interesting keywords for ranking on Google/Bing. Also, when a domain has been active for several years, GoDaddy may reserve it for a period in order to sell it at a higher price.
When the sale does not take place within a reasonable time, GoDaddy will release the domain at its conventional price.
What does it mean to "redirect" a domain?
Domains allow the use of redirects, which in practical terms means that when a user types our domain name to enter the site, they will automatically be redirected to another one (as users, we sometimes do not even notice it).
Redirecting a domain name can be useful for campaigns and microsites, or for sending people to special pages on your main site. On an advertising poster, a short address such as www.celulares.com/sorteo is easier to remember than www.celulares.com/novedades/2023/galaxy/sorteo.html. So, an easy-to-remember URL is created which, when entered, automatically redirects us to the content that the website owner or company actually wants us to see within its main corporate site.
Redirects are also useful for avoiding spelling confusion. For example, if we visit www.fb.com, we will be automatically redirected to www.facebook.com.
Different types of domains
Domains can be divided into five types, each with its own specific characteristics:
Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD, 'generic Top-Level Domain')
Geographic Top-Level Domains (ccTLD, 'country code Top-Level Domain')
Second-Level Domains.
Third-Level Domains.
Sponsored Domains (sTLD, 'sponsored Top-Level Domain')
The first two "Top-Level" groups are also called "first-level" domains. Just to be clear, this is not related to quality, but rather to a hierarchical arrangement that we will soon understand better.
gTLD: generic top-level domains
A top-level domain is exactly what it sounds like: a type of domain name found at the first level of the Internet domain name system. These are commonly used domain names—in other words, the most widespread internationally. gTLDs are not defined by a particular country. Classic examples include .com, .org, and .edu, but we also find examples such as .audio
Other examples of gTLDs include .mil (military), .gov (government), .org (for nonprofit organizations and various institutions), and .net, which was originally designed for Internet service providers (ISPs) but is now used more broadly and flexibly.
The official list of gTLDs is maintained by an organization called the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and the complete updated list can be found here. This list also includes ccTLDs and third-level domains, which we will discuss below.
ccTLD: country-code top-level domains
ccTLDs use only two letters because they are based on international country codes, such as .us for the United States, .ar for Argentina, or .jp for Japan. They are often used by companies creating sites dedicated to specific regions. This is an excellent way to signal to users that the content they are viewing is current and/or highly specific to their region.
"Third-Level" Domain Names
Easy: they arise from combining the first two. That is, for example, a .com combined with a .ar (a generic top-level extension combined with a country-code extension).
Although the domain categories mentioned above are the most common, there are other "unusual" variations that we may come across.
Second-level domains
An uncommon resource. The best example of these domain names can be found in England. British companies occasionally use .co.uk instead of .com. Another perfect example of a second-level domain is .gov.uk, which is often used by government institutions, while .ac.uk is used by academic institutions and universities.
sTLD: Sponsored domains
Yes, that's right. A sponsored sTLD, although it belongs to the group of top-level domain names, has a sponsor representing a specific community. Sponsors may be based on ethnic, geographic, professional, technical, or other concepts proposed by private agencies or organizations. They establish (and enforce) rules that restrict registrants' eligibility to use the sTLD.
Examples of sTLD domain names include those with the extensions .travel (sponsored by Tralliance Corporation), .tel (sponsored by .tel), or .aero (sponsored by SITA).
What are "Subdomains"?
Subdomains are prefixes added to any domain name to separate a section of its website. E.g.: clientes.miempresa.com (the subdomain in the example is "clientes").
Admins and marketing teams primarily use subdomains to manage sections that benefit from their own hierarchy or from being separate from the site's main content. It is important to clarify that subdomains function as websites independent of their main domain. Thus, the distinction of a "subdomain" makes it possible to develop a section of a website without interfering with the main domain's site.
Subdomains are useful in clearly defined cases: they do not require webmasters to acquire an additional domain name to create specific divisions or sections within their site. For example, Facebook uses developers.facebook.com to provide specific information for application and web developers who intend to use the Facebook API. Another great example is support.google.com.
Another common case is es.empresa.com (the subdomain where we will find the Spanish-language version of a site whose main domain uses a different language) or latam.empresa.com (where the subdomain will present content specific to Latin America).
Now that we know everything about domain names, why not get our own?
We take care of maintaining your website
I want to check whether my domain is available now!
Do you have questions or need more information? Write to us! We are here to help and advise you. Best of luck with your ventures, and thank you for reading.