What is a Domain Name?

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the human-friendly address of a website (like google.com). It maps to an IP address so you don't have to memorize numbers.

Anatomy of a Domain

https://www.example.com
        \_/  \_____/ \_/
       sub   domain  TLD

Part	Example
Subdomain	www, blog
Domain	example
TLD	.com, .org, .io

How Domains Work (DNS)

1. You type example.com.
2. DNS looks up its IP address.
3. Your browser connects to that IP.
4. The website loads.

DNS (Domain Name System) is like the internet's phone book.

Common TLDs

• .com — commercial (most popular).
• .org — organizations.
• .net — networks.
• .io / .dev — tech/startups.

FAQs

How do I get a domain?

Buy one from registrars like Namecheap or GoDaddy (yearly fee). More in our What Is guides.

Domain vs hosting?

Domain is the address; hosting is the server storing your site.