The top-level domain (TLD) .GUIDE is a generic TLD operated by Donuts Inc., a US company that manages a wide range of TLDs. This TLD was first delegated to the Root Zone of the Domain Name System on November 14, 2013, as part of the new TLD program by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
As a generic TLD, .GUIDE does not have specific technical restrictions. It is designed for use by any individual, business, or organization as per the discretion of the registrar. The term “guide” implies giving directions or advice. Therefore, the .GUIDE TLD commonly fits websites that offer tips, insights, instructions, and other forms of guidance, although this use is not mandated by the registrar. Businesses or professionals involved in tour and travel, educational sites, life coaches, instructional websites, training providers, and many others can use this domain extension.
Like all TLDs, .GUIDE uses the DNS (Domain Name System) to map human-friendly domain names to specific IP addresses. The DNS resolution process involves querying name servers to translate a domain name into an IP address that can route internet traffic to the right server.
It’s important to note that DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) is supported by the .GUIDE TLD. DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security to the domain name system to prevent specific types of attacks such as DNS spoofing, by adding verifiable signatures to DNS data.
Regarding its internationalized domain name (IDN) policy, .GUIDE, similar to many other TLDs managed by Donuts Inc., accepts a wide range of scripts including Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Arabic, etc.
In terms of renewing, transferring, and restoring .GUIDE domains, each registrar has their specific regulations, although these typically follow common practices defined by ICANN. The length of domain names under the .GUIDE TLD may range from 3 to 63 characters.
Sources:
1. “Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)” – US National Institute of Standards and Technology
1. “New gTLD Program” – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
1. Donuts Inc.‘s official website
1. “Delegation Record for .GUIDE” – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
1. List of ASCII based valid IDNs on Donuts Inc.‘s official website
