The top-level domain (TLD) refers to the last part of a domain name. It is the highest level within the hierarchical structure of the Domain Name System (DNS) (ICANN, n.d.). Examples include .com, .net, .org and many more. However, there is currently no existing top-level domain (TLD) named “.QUEST”.
To give context, it’s important to understand what a TLD is. The Domain Name System (DNS), which can be visualized like a “phone book” of the internet, uses TLDs to organize and navigate the vast data reservoir of the World Wide Web. TLDs are categorized by three types: generic (gTLD), country-code (ccTLD), and infrastructure top-level domain. Examples of these include .com, .net, and .org for gTLDs, .us, .uk, and .ca for ccTLDs, and .arpa for infrastructure TLD (Internet Society, n.d.).
Major roles of TLDs include insuring network security and stability, compliance with ICANN policies, proper management of the domain name lifecycle including domain name registration, renewal, transfer, restore and deletion processes, among others (ICANN, n.d.).
Before a new TLD is accepted, it must be approved by ICANN – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. This non-profit organization has the authority to make decisions about the domain name system. They have a rigorous evaluation process to decide whether a proposed TLD meets the technical, financial, and legal requirements (ICANN, 2018).
Currently, ICANN’s official list of TLDs does not include .QUEST. Therefore, unless there is an approved proposal by ICANN for .QUEST, it remains non-existent in the internet domain name system.
However, it does not mean that .QUEST cannot become a TLD in the future. In fact, in the last few years, ICANN has opened up the market for new TLDs, resulting in the creation of over 1,000 new TLDs. It began accepting applications for new TLDs in 2012, and since then, various organizations have applied for and been granted new TLDs, such as .google by Google and .bbc by the BBC (ICANN, 2018).
Therefore, in summary, while the “.QUEST” TLD does not presently exist, under the right conditions, and with approval from ICANN, it could potentially become a new TLD in the future.
Sources:
ICANN. (n.d.). TLDs and Contractual Compliance. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/tlds-20-2012-02-25-en.
ICANN. (2018). New Generic Top-Level Domains. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/gtlds-27-2012-02-25-en.
Internet Society. (n.d.). An Introduction to the Domain Name System (DNS). Retrieved from https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2017/an-introduction-to-the-domain-name-system-dns/.
