Domain Name Terminology (A Guide for Beginners)
If you are new to the world of domain names and website building, you’ll probably encounter many technical terms that you have no idea what they mean.
Let’s look at some of the most common terms related to domain names and explain their meaning.
TLD
TLD stands for Top-Level Domain, aka the domain extension. This is the part that comes after the “dot”. Examples of TLDs include “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, etc. These are called generic TLDs (gTLDs).
ccTLD
ccTLD stands for country code top-level domain. These are domain extensions that are assigned to specific countries, such as “.us” for the United States, “.ca” for Canada, and so on.
DNS
The domain name system (DNS) consists of a large global network of servers that work to translate human-friendly domain names into computer-friendly IP addresses.
Nameservers
Each domain name has two or more name servers associated with it. These servers contain the DNS settings of the domain.
Registry
A domain registry is an organization that controls a specific TLD (domain extension). Each TLD is maintained by a central registry. Consumers can’t usually buy domains directly from the registry.
Registrar
A domain registrar is a company that sells domain names and related services to consumers. Registrars buy domains at wholesale prices from the registry and then resell them to consumers.
Registrant
A domain registrant is the person who registers and owns a domain name.
Domain Lock
This is a security feature that prevents your domain from being transferred to another registrar without your permission. The domain must be unlocked before any transfer attempt. Some registrars require additional verification in order to unlock a domain name.
Transfer Lock
Transfer lock, or registrar lock, is a 60-day period during which the domain cannot be transferred to another registrar. This rule is normally triggered when registering or transferring a new domain, and also after editing domain ownership records.
Renewal
Domain names are registered on a yearly basis (1–10 years) and require renewal before the expiration date in order to maintain ownership of the domain.
Redemption Period
When a domain name expires, it first goes through a grace period during which it can be renewed at the regular renewal price. After the grace period expires, the domain enters the redemption period during which the owner can still recover and renew the domain, but this usually requires paying a high fee.
WHOIS
A database that contains domain ownership records. Registries and registrars maintain WHOIS databases that contain contact information and other technical details associated with each domain name registered with them.
WHOIS Privacy
Since WHOIS records are public and can be searched by anyone, a WHOIS privacy feature hides the personal contact details of the domain owner and prevents others from accessing such data.
Looking For a Good Domain Registrar?
It’s not easy for a beginner to find out which domain registrars offer good value for money among all the paid ads and affiliate reviews that dominate search results.
If you want my personal recommendations, NameCheap and Dynadot are two great domain registrars that have affordable prices. They also offer free WHOIS privacy with each eligible TLD.
Cloudflare is another reliable domain registrar that many developers like to use. They offer the lowest renewal prices with free DNS and CDN services. This registrar is more suitable for tech-savvy users and it requires you to manually configure your domain’s DNS settings.
