Domain Names for the e-Age

A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Praveen Jayaraj

What are Domain Names?

Domain names are actually addressing mechanisms on the Internet. A domain name acts as an identifier and it identifies an unique computer on the Internet. Let's have a look at the origin of domain names. Every computer connected to the Internet is identified by an unique address called an Internet Protocol (IP) address. A typical IP address is a collection of numbers (for example - 223 20 224 100) separated by dots and if you type an IP address in to the address bar of your browser, the browser will take you to the respective site on the Net. That means, to address a computer or a node on the Internet, one has to follow the IP addressing mechanism. But remembering these number based IP addresses is very difficult and it may not be possible. So there comes the new technological diversion - the launching of domain names which offer a more intuitive way to name and find a site.

Domain name servers are the computers that deploy the domain name system on the Net.

Types and features of Domain Names

The various domain names are ".com", ".net", ".org", ".info", ".biz", and ".tv". There are also country specific domain names. Examples of such domain names are ".us", ".uk", ".fr", and ".it". Out of these domain names, ".com", ".net", and ".org" are referred to as top level domains. A domain name can contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and the hyphen character ("-"). It may be noted that no domain name should start or end with an hyphen.

You can use capital or small case letters for naming a domain name. But it is advisable that you go for small case letters while naming a domain name. A domain name can contain up to a maximum of 67 characters but many domain name servers on the Internet haven't upgraded their system architecture to include this.

More on Domain Names

".com" domain names are the giant ones on the Internet. ".com" domain names indicate commercial or business websites. Examples are www.microsoft.com,and www.compaq.com. ".net" and ".org" are also becoming very popular nowadays. You can see many domain names of the above types on the Net. Domain names actually made a revolution to the addressing mechanisms on the Internet.

Any one can buy a domain name on the Internet. The merits of domain names are that they can improve your site's credibility and visibility. You can host your site without a domain name. But adding a domain name for your site gives a touch of professionalism to your site. Domain names are also portable. That means that if you change your website from one web space to another web space, you need not go for a new domain name. The domain name can be directed to point to your new web space.

Finally, domain names are easy to remember thus providing a memorable picture of your company's site for the people.