The top-level domain (TLD) “.rocks” is a generic TLD (gTLD) and part of the Domain Name System of the internet, used to denote the end part of a website address. Introduced by Donuts Inc., a private domain name registrar, the “.rocks” TLD was delegated to the Root Zone of the Domain Name System on March 6, 2014, as part of the first round of the New gTLD Program launched by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) that began in 2011.
A TLD is the last segment of a domain name – the letters immediately following the final dot in a web address. For instance, in the domain name www.example.rocks, “.rocks” is the TLD. The main purpose of these suffixes was to indicate the service type associated with the domain. Like .edu for educational institutions or .gov for government entities. However, with new gTLDs like “.rocks”, the namespace of the internet is being expanded beyond these traditional categories.
The “.rocks” TLD is categorized as a gTLD since it isn’t related to a specific country (which would make it a country-code TLD, or ccTLD). It serves a more descriptive purpose, marketed as a versatile option for brands, individuals, and organizations that want to declare that they “rock” at what they do. This makes it a great choice for musicians, geologists, or just about anyone passionate about something.
With ICANN’s liberalization of the namespace, many new and innovative TLD options have opened up since 2014 like “.club”, “.xyz”, and “.rocks”. According to data from nTLDstats, as of September 2021, over 113,000 domains have been registered with the “.rocks” extension, demonstrating its widespread popularity.
As for the technical description, .rocks domains can be registered by any individual, group, or business for a period of 1 to 10 years. The length of a .rocks domain can vary between 3 to 63 characters, and it supports internationalized domain names (IDNs) in various language scripts, meaning that users can register domains not just in English, but also in languages like Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.
To sum it up, the “.rocks” TLD is a creative, flexible, and popular domain extension provided under ICANN’s gTLD expansion program. It’s an innovative and informal way for entities and individuals to establish a unique and expressive presence on the internet.
Sources:
- ICANN. “New gTLD Program.” Accessed September 28, 2021. https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/dm
- nTLDs Stats. “.rocks.” Accessed September 28, 2021. https://ntldstats.com/tld/rocks
- Donuts Inc. “Donuts Inc. TLDs”, Accessed September 28, 2021 from https://donuts.domains/what-we-do/top-level-domains.
- Verisign, “Domain Name Industry Brief”, Accessed September 28, 2021 from https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/dnib/index.xhtml.
