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Site's Administration : Domain names: your presence on the Web
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Claude Levior
The Structure of a Domain Name
Besides the frequent, but not mandatory, www (which identifies the server), a domain name is made up of two main parts:
- the domain name that you yourself choose;
- the Top Level Domain (TLD) or extension.
Figure 1: The domain name's component parts
Theoretically, the second part should characterise the activity of your site. However, due to the enormous demand, the meaning of the various TLDs has been lost. The first three TLDs: .com, .net and .org, which were born 17 years ago, are now used for all kinds of sites. To help you proceed, here is a summary table of the main TLDs and their significance:
| Extension | Description |
| .com | Originally foreseen for commercial companies, it is now used for all kinds of sites. |
| .net | Traditionally intended for sites connected with Internet infrastructure activities, but now used for all types of sites. |
| .org | Originally reserved for organisations and associations, but now also used for other kinds of sites. |
| .info | New TLD for individuals, businesses, organisations, etc. (open to everyone), which publish information about them or their activities. |
| .biz | New TLD for businesses (relieves the pressure on the existing .com TLD). |
| .name | New TLD for individuals. |
| .edu | For universities. |
| .int | International. |
| .mil | US military administration. |
| .gov | US government. |
These TLDs are international. There are also regional TLDs assigned to countries, which are called country-code Top Level Domains or ccTLDs. For instance .fr for France, .de for Germany, .uk for the United Kingdom. Note that these codes are composed of two characters only and follow a specific coding: ISO 3166.
In practice, only a few TLDs are available for individual persons: .net, .org , .com, .biz, .info and .name. The assigning of domains in these TLD categories follows the first come first served rule, provided you do not wrongfully use the name of a known label or artist. The law now keeps a watchful eye; so you have been warned!
You can also register a domain name in a ccTLD. The rules vary significantly and you should check with the registrar offering registration services for the targeted ccTLD.