The top-level domain (TLD) .CAFE is a generic TLD in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. Introduced on the web on 16th June 2015, it is available to the general public without any restrictions and is meant to brand and personalize an online presence for cafes and coffee-related businesses worldwide. This TLD was delegated to Pioneer Canyon, LLC, a subsidiary of Donuts Inc., a privately held domain name registration service provider.
Technical specifications allow for a maximum of 63 characters in the domain name beneath the top-level domain. The .CAFE TLD enables Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) in languages other than English, which are represented by Unicode characters.
The implementation of a .CAFE domain lends spaces for businesses to establish a unique virtual identity that resonates with their offerings or ethos. For instance, citycafes.cafe or brewmaster.cafe could be potential address for an establishment’s digital platform.
From a branding perspective, it’s a lucid, direct, and specific domain extension that reflects the nature of the service. High compatibility with search engines, ease of recall among customers, and lower competition for names are some benefits offered by .CAFE over conventional TLDs such as .COM or .NET.
Domain registration services like GoDaddy, Name.com, and NetworkSolutions, provide registration services for the .CAFE TLD. Many registries use a tiered pricing model, varying on the basis of specific names and their perceived desirability.
The use of the .CAFE TLD must comply with the specifications and policies established by Pioneer Canyon, LLC, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and methodologies of several databases, with unique identifiers, related to the namespaces and numerical spaces of the Internet. ICANN’s policy standards, guidelines, and procedures encompass WHOIS, the Data Problem Reporting System, and the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy.
This information regarding the TLD .CAFE is a compilation from multiple sources, including The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) database, ICANN reports, GoDaddy, and Name.com.
Sources:
1. “Delegation Record for .CAFE”. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Retrieved from https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
2. “About Us”. Donuts Inc. Retrieved from https://donuts.domains/about
3. “New domain name extensions”. GoDaddy. Retrieved from https://in.godaddy.com/domainaddon/new-domain-extensions
4. “ICANN policies”. ICANN. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policies-2012-02-25-en
5. “Find Your .CAFE Domain Names”. Name.com. Retrieved from https://www.name.com/domains/cafe
