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Domain Name Basics

The domain name is usually one of the activities associated with a web site. The availability of online tools hastened registration of domain names. Before we dig into the idea of a domain name, let us first understand what domain names are all about.

When you enter a website through your browser, it is usually recognized by typing “www.name-of-site.com.” The “name-of-site.com” is the domain name. This is a unique name that points to where the website is. It is similar to a residence address which is made up of the number, the street name, state or town name, country or zip code. But unlike the physical address, domain names follow a unique structure that aids browsers in locating a specified web site in the world wide web.

Since its inception in 1971, TCP/IP became the protocol followed by the Internet. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) was not used until 1984. Simply put, TCP/IP paves the way for two computers to communicate with each other. An addressing scheme was developed in order that a computer’s location can be identified in the network. Later on, TCP/IP became known as “IP Address.” An IP address is made up of 4 numbers, ranging from 0 to 255, separated by a period.

As the number of computers accessing the Internet grew, TCP/IP also encountered different problems. Seemingly, locating one computer posed a big threat. It was simply too hard to maintain a list of IP addresses and its location. To solve the situation, the Domain Name System was developed in 1984. The system was developed as a remedy to the problem of remembering IP addresses. Inside the Internet are domain name servers and their associated domain name. Typing “www.yahoo.com” in the address bar points to the IP address and domain name server.

Getting a domain name is quite simple. By registering an available name with a registrar, an individual can have his own domain name. The registrar distributes domain names to people.

There is a list of domain name registrars responsible for listing domain names. Domain name registration is done annually. A lapse in registration may lead to another person registering or using the name.