Top-Level Domain (TLD) refers to the last part of the internet domain name. It follows after the final dot in the URL. For instance, in the URL “www.example.com”, “.com” is the TLD. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) classifies TLD into several categories such as Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs), and Infrastructure Top-Level Domain (infTLD). “.com” is an example of a gTLD which is widely used globally, “.uk” is an example of a ccTLD which indicates that the website is based in the United Kingdom, and “.arpa” is the only example of infTLD (ICANN, 2017).
The “dot” or “.” in a domain name, also known as a “period” is not technically a part of the TLD. It primarily serves as a separator between the various hierarchal levels of a domain name. For example, the dot divides “www” and “example” and “example” and “com” in the URL “www.example.com”.
The “.com” TLD is the most widely used TLD, primarily used for commercial purposes, although it’s open for anyone to register (Verisign, 2020). Other common examples of TLDs include “.org” for organizations, “.gov” for U.S. government entities, and “.edu” for higher education institutions, mostly in the U.S. (WhoIs, 2022).
However, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization responsible for managing the DNS, has allowed for the creation of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), dramatically expanding the number of TLDs available for use. Examples of newer TLDs include “.app” for applications, “.blog” for blogs, and “.movie” for movie-related websites (ICANN, 2017).
Sources:
- ICANN (2017). Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs), & Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). Retrieved from [https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/tlds-2012-02-25-en]
- Verisign (2020). .com Meaning. Retrieved from [https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/com-domain-names/index.xhtml]
- WhoIs (2022). Top Level Domain (TLD). Retrieved from [https://whois.com/domain-name-search]
- ICANN (2017). New gTLDs. Retrieved from [https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program]
