The top-level domain (TLD) “.com” is one of the first and most recognizable of internet domain extensions. A top-level domain is the part of a domain name that appears after the “dot.” For example, in ‘www.example.com,’ “.com” is the TLD. The .com TLD is managed by Verisign Global Registry Services, as designated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
The “.com” TLD, which stands for commercial, was one of the original TLDs established in January 1985 along with .edu, .gov, .int, .mil, .net, and .org. It was intended for business-oriented sites but has since become the de facto TLD for all sorts of websites. There is no need to demonstrate any particular type of use to register a .com domain, which anyone or any entity can register.
The operation of the .com registry is defined in technical terms in the DNSSEC Practice Statement for the Verisign TLDs. This document outlines how Verisign generates and manages cryptographic keys, accepts and processes domain name applications, publishes domain name information, and manages certain aspects of DNSSEC (security extensions for the DNS system) for the .com, .net and .name TLDs.
According to data from Verisign, as of the end of 2020, .com domains accounted for roughly 147.3 million of the approximately 366.3 million domain name registrations across all TLDs, making it the most popular TLD by a wide margin. Examples of popular .com domains include major corporations such as ‘www.google.com,’ and ‘www.facebook.com,’ as well as smaller businesses and personal websites.
The .com TLD uses a distributed network of servers known as the Domain Name System (DNS) to translate human-friendly domain names into numerical IP addresses that machines can understand. When a user types in a .com domain into their web browser, DNS servers are queried to find the IP address associated with that domain. Once the IP address is found, the user’s internet service provider routes their access request through the internet to the server at that IP address.
Sources:
- ICANN. TLD DNSSEC Report. https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
- Verisign. The Domain Name Industry Brief. https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-name-services/domain-information-center/index.xhtml
- Verisign. DNSSEC Practice Statement for the Verisign TLDs. https://www.verisign.com/static/044720.pdf
- Verisign. Verisign Domain Name Industry Brief. https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/internet-technology-news/verisign-reports/domain-name-industry-brief.xhtml
- IANA — .com Domain Delegation Data. https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/com.html
- “How does the Internet work?” BBC Bitesize. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z3tbgk7/revision/4
