The “MINT” top-level domain (TLD) does not currently exist. A top-level domain is the last segment of a domain name, the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. The most common TLDs are .com, .net, .org, .gov, .edu, and .int. Other familiar TLDs include those representing countries, such as .us (United States), .uk (United Kingdom), .de (Germany), .ca (Canada), .jp (Japan), and others.
Each TLD has a specific purpose and area of use. For example, .com domains have been traditionally used by businesses (as ‘com’ signifies ‘commercial’), .net by network providers, and .org by organizations. Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs), such as .us or .ca, are usually used by entities connected with the respective country.
There’s a group of new TLDs that have been approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which manages the domain name system. These include specific organization names, branded company names, and generic words. However, as of today, “.mint” is not among the TLDs that have been approved or under proposal, as shown in the TLD database provided by ICANN (source: ICANN.org)
The designation of new TLDs is a complex process managed by ICANN that involves various stages, including application, public comment, evaluation, delegation, and implementation (source: ICANN.org). So, even if the “.mint” TLD were proposed, it would take some time until it’s officially introduced and available for public use. Let’s consider, for instance, how .app TLD became available. Google got the rights to the .app domain in February 2015, but it didn’t become generally available until May 2018 (source: The Verge).
One of the reasons for introducing new TLDs is to provide more descriptive and memorable domain names in line with the content theme of the website. For example, .movie is used for movie-related websites, .sports for sport-related ones, and .bank for banking or financial institutions. From this perspective, the potential “.mint” TLD could be used by websites dealing with mint, either as an ingredient, a plant or a theme.
In conclusion, as of now the “.mint” top-level domain (TLD) does not exist, and there’s no immediate plan for its implementation according to the ICANN database. However, the new TLD landscape is always changing, and new names can be proposed as per ICANN’s application process, opening the door for the possible future existence of “.mint” TLD.
Sources:
- ICANN.org
- The Verge
