The Tribune

Most people understand that a ‘Domain Name’ is simply the basic web address of a website, but few actually grasp how domain names work.

Selecting a domain name for your business website can sometimes be one of the most exciting aspects of gaining an online presence, and is actually the equivalent of giving your online business a home.

But if you are still struggling to understand the basics on how domain names function at a technical level, then this article may prove to be quite useful.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a unique name that identifies a website. Here’s an example: http://domain.star. Whenever you visit a website, the domain name appears in the address bar of the web browser. Some are preceded by ‘www’ (which is not part of the domain name).

The Domain Name is similar to a street address for a house or business, which is much easier to access the exact location of a website without having to remember its numeric address.

ICANN:

Domains are under the jurisdiction of ICANN, the (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), which is responsible for creating and maintaining current top-level domains.

IP Address:

A domain name is also a lingual representation of an IP address, which is a series of numbers separated by dots. A typical IP address looks something like this: 72.167.131.92.

Every web site is given an IP address. However, it is much more difficult to remember this sequence of numbers as opposed to remembering a simple phrase. Moreover, the real work of identifying and distinguishing computers on a network is actually done by the IP address.

One difficulty is that servers are not really recognised by domain names, but by IP addresses. What is more, your domain name and its associated IP address are stored in a common database, along with every other domain and associated IP address that are accessible via the Internet

URLs:

New users often confuse domain names with Universal Resource Locators (URLs) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

Think about this metaphor. If the Internet is like a phone book, the IP address is like a car that travels to its destination, and a web page is like a physical building, then the URL must be the precise street address of that building.

This following example illustrates the difference between a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and a domain name. For example, a URL: http://www.domains.org/. A Domain name: domains.org

Suffix:

All domain names have a domain suffix, such as .com, .net or .org. When choosing domain names, the shorter the better. The domain suffix helps identify the type of website the domain name represents.

For example, ‘.com’ domain names are typically used by commercial websites, while ‘.org’ websites are often used by non-profit organisations.

Domain Name levels:

Domain names are divided into three different levels that represent different parts of a domain name. The first level (also known as the top level) of the domain is the extension of the domain.

For example, in the domain name ‘www.exampledomain.com’, the .com portion of the domain is the top-level domain (TLD).

Domain Name Formatting

Domain names are allowed to have letters, digits, and hyphens, but no other characters. They are also not case sensitive.

Web Hosting/Domain Name Registration

Domain names are not bought and sold. In reality, they are only registered for a set period of time, usually one or two years. Once expired, anyone may claim ownership, unless the registration is renewed within a specific time period. Nonetheless, before a domain registration expires, the registrant should be notified within two weeks of the expiration date.

To associate a domain name with a web site or an IP address, you must first register the domain (by purchasing it), which is simple and requires no special skills or pre-requisites.

It is also important to note that intellectual property rights do apply to domain names, so you are not legally allowed to register a domain name that contains a term or phrase that is trademarked or copyrighted.

If you choose to set up a website using your new domain name, you will have to sign up with the provider of your choice. The sign-up process is fairly straightforward, and once you have chosen a plan and paid your fee, your domain name will be associated with your hosting account and you should be clear to set up your site.

The domain name hierarchy for your site will look something like this:

• URL: http://www.yoursite.com/index.html

• Top-level domain name: .com

• Second-level domain name: yoursite.com

• Hostname: www.yoursite.com

How Domain Name works

Generally, when you type the name of a website or file into an address bar, computers - and the vast collection of servers making up the Internet - quickly translate it into a more computer-friendly numerical format in order to track down the request. The reason? Human beings think in words and phrases, while computers are built to think only in numbers.

Sounds complicated? Hopefully, this was not too overwhelming. Glad that we are now a little clearer about the term ‘Domain Names’ and how they work.

Just remember: A Domain name is simply a name/address of a website. Until we meet again, live life for memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

• NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Deidre Bastian is a professionally trained graphic designer/marketing coordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.