What is Domain Name?

There are some important steps which should not be missed before you set up a new website, these are the followings: make sure about a web host, choose a domain name and then register it with a domain registrar. For beginners, this process may seem difficult, but we have available a user guide for beginners which can be very useful.

From this article you can learn more about the domain names.

Domain name vs Web Hosting

We remind you again that the domain names are not the same things with the web host. As we told you, you have to think that the web host represents your house where you live and the domain name identifies the address from this house. Imagine that Web Hosting is a storage house while the domain name represents the address of that.

Domain Name System (DNS)

We can talk about domain names just after we had created a Domain Name System (DNS).
The DNS was developed in 1983. This system helps to convert IP addresses which are more complicated in alphabetical domain names. This conversion (from numeric IP addresses into alphabetic IP addresses) intervenes to help to remember IP addresses easier.

Top Level Domains (TLD)

The “extension” of domain names represents the Top Level Domains. Taking in example the “google.com”, where the Google is the domain name while the “.com” represents the Top Level Domain. Other TLDs are: .info, .net, .org, .tv, .ws.
There are some country code TLDs (ccTLDs), which are country based TLDs, like the .uk, .co.uk, .com.my, .de, .za, .com.au
These country code TLDs (like. co.uk forUnited Kingdom) are limited to citizens of certain countries, as well as different activities are regulated by local authorities and by the cyber laws.

Subdomains and addon domains

Before the domain name comes the subdomain. Take an example the “mail.google.com”, the “mail” represents the subdomain. Do not confuse the subdomain with the addon domain. The difference between this two is that the addon domain could be the second, third, fourth and so on, an independent domain name in a single hosting account; while the subdomain is an alternative name which appears before the domain name. Owners have to renew the addon domain registration, while creating a subdomain does not cost anything.

Registering Domain Names

The domain name registration is regulated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the whole registration process is realized by a third-party company, namely by the domain registrar.
As an end-user, first select a registrar and then you can register directly your domain name at ICANN. Beside to it, if you are registering a ccTLD domain (like .us, .co.jp, .co.uk, com.sg) you have to collaborate with registrar credited by national ccTLD authority.

To register a domain name in most cases cost $7.5 to $45 per year. We remember you that domain registration is a frequently searched activity so the prices can differ. Before take a decision you should consult with a few registrars to compare their prices.