An Overview of Domain Names
A domain name is a method of identifying internet websites. In turn, this helps people locate sites while using a web browser on the internet or the world wide web. In addition, domain names are used in various networking contexts and application-specific naming and addressing purposes.
The first-level set of domain names is the top-level domains (TLDs), including the generic top-level domains, such as the .com, .net, and .org, and the country code top-level domains (ccTLDs).
Below the top-level domains are the second-and third-level domain names reserved for end-users wishing to connect local area networks to the Internet, run websites, or create other publicly accessible Internet resources.
The registration of domain names is usually administered by domain name registrars who sell their services to the public. Individual Internet host computers use domain names as host identifiers or hostnames. Hostnames are labels in the domain name system, usually without further subordinate domain namespace.
Hostnames appear as a component in Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for Internet resources such as websites (e.g., einvestigator.com).
Domain names are important to provide easily recognizable names to numerically addressed Internet resources.
Resources for Looking Up Domain Names
The following are resources for looking up and verifying domain names, determining ownership, etc. These sites are offered both for those interested in registering their site and for detectives who need to research the ownership of a particular website.
- Network Solutions – One of the top domain registrars in the world.
- Network Solutions Whois – Find details about registered domain names.
- Reverse DNS Lookup – This service converts an IP address to the hostname by searching domain name service tables.
List of Domain Name Suffixes
Domain name suffixes are the extensions found at the end of a website address (URL) or e-mail address that signify the category of a particular website. The list of extensions is constantly growing. The information may help conduct investigations related to website hacking, identity theft, and online bullying.
- .ac = educational network (same as .edu)
- .ad = Andorra
- .ae = United Arab Emirates
- .af = Afghanistan
- .ag = Antigua and Barbuda
- .ai = Anguilla
- .al = Albania
- .am = Armenia
- .an = Netherlands Antilles
- .ao = Angola
- .aq = Antarctica
- .ar = Argentina
- .arpa = ArpaNet sites
- .as = American Samoa
- .at = Austria
- .au = Australia
- .aw = Aruba
- .az = Azerbaijan
- .ba = Bosnia,Herzegovinia
- .bb = Barbados
- .bd = Bangladesh
- .be = Belgium
- .bf = Burkina Faso
- .bg = Bulgaria
- .bh = Bahrain
- .bi = Burundi
- .bj = Benin
- .bm = Bermuda
- .bn = Brunei Darussalam
- .bo = Bolivia
- .br = Brazil
- .bs = Bahamas
- .bt = Bhutan
- .bv = Bouvet Island
- .bw = Botswana
- .by = Belarus and Byelorussia
- .bz = Belize
- .ca = Canada
- .cc = Cocos Islands – Keelings
- .cf = Central African Republic
- .cg = Congo
- .ch = Switzerland
- .ci = Ivory Coast
- .ck = Cook Islands
- .cl = Chile
- .cm = Cameroon
- .cn = China
- .co = Colombia
- .com = commercial Internet sites
- .cr = Costa Rica
- .cs = Czechoslovakia (formerly)
- .cu = Cuba
- .cv = Cape Verde
- .cx = Christmas Island
- .cy = Cyprus
- .cz = Czech Republic
- .de = Germany
- .dj = Djibouti
- .dk = Denmark
- .dm = Dominica
- .do = Dominican Republic
- .dz = Algeria
- .ec = Ecuador
- .edu = educational sites
- .ee = Estonia
- .eg = Egypt
- .eh = Western Sahara
- .er = Eritrea
- .es = Spain
- .et = Ethiopia
- .fi = Finland
- .firm = Business websites
- .fj = Fiji
- .fk = Falkland Islands/Malvinas
- .fm = Micronesia
- .fo =Faroe Islands
- .fr = France
- .fx = Metropolitan France
- .ga = Gabon
- .gb = Great Britain
- .gd = Grenada
- .ge = Georgia
- .gf = French Guiana
- .gh = Ghana
- .gi = Gibraltar
- .gl = Greenland
- .gm = Gambia
- .gn = Guinea
- .gov = used for a U.S. government website.
- .gp = Guadeloupe
- .gq = Equatorial Guinea
- .gr = Greece
- .gs = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- .gt = Guatemala
- .gu = Guam
- .gw = Guinea-Bissau
- .gy = Guyana
- .hk = Hong Kong
- .hm = Heard and McDonald Islands
- .hn = Honduras
- .hr = Croatia/Hrvatska
- .ht = Haiti
- .hu = Hungary
- .id = Indonesia
- .ie = Ireland
- .il = Israel
- .in = India
- .int = international institutions
- .io = British Indian Ocean Territory
- .iq = Iraq
- .ir = Iran
- .is = Iceland
- .it = Italy
- .jm = Jamaica
- .jo = Jordan
- .jp = Japan
- .ke = Kenya
- .kg = Kyrgyzstan
- .kh = Cambodia
- .ki = Kiribati
- .km = Comoros
- .kn = Saint Kitts and Nevis
- .kp = North Korea
- .kr = South Korea
- .kw = Kuwait
- .ky = Cayman Islands
- .kz = Kazakhstan
- .la = Laos
- .lb = Lebanon
- .lc = Saint Lucia
- .li = Liechtenstein
- .lk = Sri Lanka
- .lr = Liberia
- .ls = Lesotho
- .lt = Lithuania
- .lu = Luxembourg
- .lv = Latvia
- .ly = Libya
- .ma = Morocco
- .mc = Monaco
- .md = Moldova
- .mg = Madagascar
- .mh = Marshall Islands
- .mil = U.S. military sites
- .mk = Macedonia
- .ml = Mali
- .mm = Myanmar
- .mn = Mongolia
- .mo = Macau
- .mp = the Northern Mariana Islands
- .mq = Martinique
- .mr = Mauritania
- .ms = Montserrat
- .mt = Malta
- .mu = Mauritius
- .mv = Maldives
- .mw = Malawi
- .mx = Mexico
- .my = Malaysia
- .mz = Mozambique
- .na = Namibia
- .nato = NATO sites
- .nc = New Caledonia
- .ne = Niger
- .net = administrative sites
- .nf = Norfolk Island
- .ng = Nigeria
- .ni = Nicaragua
- .nl = Netherlands
- .no = Norway
- .nom = personal site
- .np = Nepal
- .nr = Nauru
- .nt = Neutral Zone
- .nu = Niue
- .nz = New Zealand (Aotearoa)
- .om = Oman
- .org = organizational sites in the U.S.
- .pa = Panama
- .pe = Peru
- .pf = French Polynesia
- .pg = Papua New Guinea
- .ph = Philippines
- .pk = Pakistan
- .pl = Poland
- .pm = St. Pierre and Miquelon
- .pn = Pitcairn
- .pr = Puerto Rico
- .pt = Portugal
- .pw = Palau
- .py = Paraguay
- .qa = Qatar
- .re = Reunion
- .ro = Romania
- .ru = Russian Federation
- .rw = Rwanda
- .sa = Saudi Arabia
- .sb = Solomon Islands
- .sc = Seychelles
- .sd = Sudan
- .se = Sweden
- .sg = Singapore
- .sh = Saint Helena
- .si = Slovenia
- .sj = Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
- .sk = Slovakia
- .sl = Sierra Leone
- .sm = San Marino
- .sn = Senegal
- .so = Somalia
- .sr = Suriname
- .st = Sao Torme and Principe
- .store = retail business
- .sv = El Salvador
- .sy = Syria
- .sz = Swaziland
- .tc = Turks and Caicos Islands
- .td = Chad
- .tf = French Southern Territory
- .tg = Togo
- .th = Thailand
- .tj = Tajikistan
- .tk = Tokelau
- .tm = Turkmenistan
- .tn = Tunisia
- .to = Tonga
- .tp = East Timor
- .tr = Turkey
- .tt = Trinidad and Tobago
- .tv = Tuvalu
- .tw = Taiwan
- .tz = Tanzania
- .ua = Ukraine
- .ug = Uganda
- .uk = United Kingdom
- .um = U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
- .us = United States
- .uy = Uruguay
- .uz = Uzbekistan
- .va = Vatican City State
- .vc = Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- .ve = Venezuela
- .vg = British Virgin Islands
- .vi = U.S. Virgin Islands
- .vn = Vietnam
- .vu = Vanuatu
- .web = About the web
- .wf = Wallis and Futuna Islands
- .ws = Samoa
- .ye = Yemen
- .yt = Mayotte
- .yu = Yugoslavia
- .za = South Africa
- .zm = Zambia
- .zr = Zaire
- .zw = Zimbabwe
What is multiple domain hosting?
Many web hosting companies offer multiple domain hosting. Under most hosting plans, users can host multiple domains under the same hosting account. There is no need to have a separate hosting account for each domain name.
What is Domain Parking?
If you plan to build up a website and have a name for it, you then purchase the name from a registrar: i.e., your internet name gets placed on a name server so you can use it later on. This is known as domain parking.
Even if your website content is not ready, it’s better to park your desired name. Otherwise, it might be possible that somebody else will acquire that particular web location in the future.
What are subdomains?
Sub-domains are ‘third-level’ websites because they are used solely to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root directory, but a special URL is used to access them. For example, www.einvestigator.com is a regular URL without a sub-domain. https://directory.einvestigator.com is a URL with the sub-domain name: “features.”
Generally, when you register an address, it is registered for a minimum of one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and fast rule.
What is Domain Renewal?
After one year, you need to renew your internet name, so your website doesn’t get lost. Generally, when your domain is about to expire, your registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the renewal.
What happens when your name expires?
When your web name expires, you can renew it within one month. If you don’t renew it in this period, it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is available at a normal price. Getting an address out of the redemption phase is like buying fifty; it can cost around $200.
What is a WhoIs record?
A WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can enter an Internet entity (e.g., a network, some hosts). It will give detailed information on the registrar, the owner, and the respective DNS records.
Questions
If you have any questions about this list of domain name suffixes, please post a comment below. Also, please let us know if we’re missing anything.