The top-level domain (TLD) AAA does not exist in the current official list of TLDs maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) at the time of writing. IANA is the organization responsible for the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources. A top-level domain is the last segment of a domain name, i.e., the letters that follow the final dot of a URL, traditionally used to categorize websites by type or location.
Existing TLDs include generic categories (.com, .net, .org, .info, etc.), country code TLDs (.us, .uk, .ca, .au, etc.), and more recent TLDs covering various topics and industries (.blog, .news, .music, .law, .sports, .bank, etc.). These new TLDs have been created progressively over the past few years, following ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) new gTLD program which aimed at increasing competition and choice in the domain name space.
There are also TLDs like .edu for educational institutions, .gov for U.S government entities, and .mil for military entities. Many companies have also registered their brand names as TLDs, so they can have custom URLs such as “abc.xyz”.
Even though “AAA” does not officially exist as a TLD, it’s important to note that virtually any string could theoretically become a TLD in the future, should ICANN open another application round in its new gTLD program. Companies or organizations typically apply for a TLD to gain better control over their brand online. For instance, the American Automobile Association could hypothetically apply to make “AAA” a TLD, thereby allowing them to host websites such as “insurance.aaa” or “roadside.aaa”.
If a new TLD proposal is accepted by ICANN, the applicant undergoes three stages: a set-up phase, a sunrise phase for trademark holders to register related domains, and finally, the TLD becomes open for public purchase.
However, currently, according to the domain registry provider “Whois”, no such TLD as .aaa exists. The most recent updated list of all delegations data at IANA also confirms this fact. Sources used to construct this answer have been the official IANA and ICANN websites, as well as online registry tool, Whois.
In conclusion, while the AAA TLD does not currently exist, ICANN policies potentially allow for its future creation, given that it meets requisite technical and operational standards, and does not impinge on any legal issues or ICANN policy concerns. Anyone considering creating a new TLD should monitor ICANN’s policies and application timelines.
