Glossary · ENCheck a domain

Domain name

A domain name is a readable name, such as example.com, that people use to reach a website, email, or another internet service. People can remember a name more easily than the network address computers use to find that service.

What does a domain name look like?

In example.com, example is the chosen name and .com is its ending. The ending is called a top-level domain. example.org has a different ending, so it is a different domain name. The endings .com and .org are generic top-level domains, meaning they are not country-code endings. Anyone can register and use a .org name; it is not limited to nonprofit organizations.

A web address can include more than the domain. In the address fragment example.com/about, the connection prefix is left out: example.com is the domain and /about identifies a page on the website. In alex@example.com, the part after @ is the domain. Mail systems use the domain’s published email settings to find the service that should receive Alex’s messages. The same domain name can therefore be used for both a website and email.

How does the name lead to a website or email?

Computers use network addresses to contact one another, but names such as example.com are easier for people to remember. DNS, the Domain Name System, lets a computer look up information published for a domain name. For a website, DNS provides information that helps a browser find the computer sending the pages. For email, it tells sending services where messages for the domain should be delivered.

The domain name does not contain the website or the email messages. A website is the pages and other material people open in a browser. Web hosting is the service that stores or runs those pages and makes them available when visitors request them. An email provider runs the service that sends and receives messages. DNS connects the domain name with the information those services need, so the website and email can work through different providers.

What do I get when I register a domain?

Registration gives you the right to use an available name for a set period under the rules for its ending and your agreement with the company that registers it. This company is called a registrar. Registration does not create website pages, provide web hosting, or open an email service. You arrange those separately, or choose one provider that offers several services together.

You need to renew the registration to keep using the name. Registration periods and renewal options depend on the domain and registrar. If a registration expires and is not renewed, the website and email that rely on the domain may stop working. The name may later become available for someone else to register. The registrar can tell you the expiration date and renewal terms for your domain.

Can I move my website and keep the domain?

Yes. Suppose example.com opens a site hosted by Company A. You copy the site to Company B and keep the domain registration. The address can remain example.com; the DNS settings for the website must change so browsers reach Company B. If the copied site keeps the same page paths, a link such as example.com/about can keep working too.

Email can continue through a separate provider. If alex@example.com still uses the same email service, the domain’s mail settings must continue to point to that service while the website settings are changed. Otherwise, the website may open at its new host while messages stop reaching Alex. The registrar, DNS provider, website host, and email provider can be different companies; the settings for each service need to point to the right provider.

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