A top-level domain (TLD) refers to the last part of a domain name or the section that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol and typically includes three to six characters. Currently, however, the domain “.analytics” does not exist as a TLD under the official list from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
IANA is a department of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that oversees global IP address allocation, DNS Root, media types, and other Internet protocol assignments. All existing TLDs are included in the Root Zone Database, the authoritative record of the operators of various top-level domains. If a new TLD such as “.analytics” were to be proposed, it would need to undergo IANA’s New gTLD Program.
The New gTLD Program involves requesting a new TLD, undergoing initial evaluations including background checks, financial checks, and technical checks. Once these checks are passed, there will be a public comment period whereby the global internet community can review and comment on the proposed new TLD. Only then, if the new TLD passes these stages, it will be entered into the internet’s Root Domain.
The “.analytics” TLD would likely be a brand TLD used by companies engaged in analytics-related businesses or perhaps by educational institutions offering courses and degrees in analytics. It could help users quickly identify and access data analytics services, tools, and resources.
However, the new TLD must meet various technical and operational criteria to ensure it can work reliably and efficiently on the internet. This includes ensuring compliance with Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) to protect the new TLD from certain types of attacks. It must also support both IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses, and can be operated within a stable, secure, and globally distributed DNS infrastructure.
Sources:
1. “Root Zone Database.” Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Available from https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db.
2. “New gTLD Program.” Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Available from https://newgtlds.icann.org.
3. “Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs).” ICANNWiki. Available from https://icannwiki.org/Generic_Top-Level_Domains\_(gTLDs).
4. “DNSSEC: What Is It and Why Is It Important?” DNS Made Easy. Available from https://social.dnsmadeeasy.com/blog/dnssec-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important/.
5. “IP Addresses.” Internet Society. Available from https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2017/ip-addresses/.
6. “The DNS Infrastructure.” Cloudflare. Available from https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/dns-infrastructure/.
