We are in internet world and on daily basis we are visiting to multiple websites. Each website has it’s name and a post-fix .com, .net, .org and so on. Each of these is what’s called a Top Level Domain (TLD) or Domain Extension.
What is a TLD or Domain Extension?
A domain name has two parts, one is name and another is extension. The second part that follows the period (.) in a domain name, such as “.com” in “digitaldarsgah.com”. There are a variety of domain extensions, and they serve to categorize websites by business type, location, or content. The most common ones that anyone can use, however, are .com, .net and .org as they are commonly perceived as the most professional.
What is .Com, .Net and .Org Domain Name Extensions?
Domains ending with “.COM” are generally intended to be used for commercial businesses, which is why they’re the most commonly seen domains in the on Internet.
Domains ending with “.NET” are usually intended for networking services and internet service providers such as Comcast or AT&T’s residential email addresses. For instance, an AT&T employee who also used AT&T for their home service would use name@att.com for their business email, but name@att.net for their residential address.
Domain ending with “.ORG” are usually intended for non-profit organizations. However, there’s nothing legally preventing anyone from using a .ORG domain for a for-profit business, or a .NET domain for a nonprofit group. Many companies snap up all three variants in order to help protect their branding.
Now, there are other TLD’s which are restricted to certain entities. For example, .GOV can only be used by divisions of the federal, state or local government (texas.gov or florida.gov, for instance). .EDU is restricted to public universities and other educational institutes, and .MIL is restricted to divisions of the U.S. military.
However, in addition to the “big three” (.COM, .NET and .ORG), there are several other TLDs which are available for just about anyone to use, including .BIZ, .INFO, .TV and geographical/country specific as well like .IN, .US etc. as a whole there are so many other TLD are keep adding to the system and that regulated and granted by ICANN.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a non-profit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces and numerical spaces of the Internet.
Ehtesham Faizi has a long experience of Software industry, currently based in USA and working in a leading Software company. He is passionate about writing on technical and social topics. He believes in sharing his knowledge and analysis through digital channels.
