What Is a Domain Name and What Does it Reveal?

A domain name is used to identify a Web page associated with a computer. The name is part of its uniform resource locator, or URL, which is its Internet address. The suffix of the domain name indicates what its top level domain, or TLD, is, according to Webopedia.

Examples

Yahoo.com is a domain name that identifies Yahoo's websites or Web pages, which are connected to dedicated computers or computer programs called Web servers, according to TechTerms.com. An email address will be characterized by a unique name followed by "@yahoo.com. Email addresses are registered at the domain, do not maintain websites, but are connected to a mail server.

TLDs

Examples of TLDs include ".com" for a business, ".gov" for government agencies, ".org" for nonprofit organizations, ".edu" for educational institutions, and suffixes for countries such as ".uk", ".ca", and ".ch" for United Kingdom, Canada and China, respectively.

DNS

A Web server needs another program called domain name system, or DNS, server to translate domain names into a numerical code that identifies the computer associated with a website that has multiple Web pages, each with its own URL.

References

• TechTerms.com: Domain Name
• QuinStreet Inc: Domain Name
• QuinStreet Inc: URL