A domain extension is the combination of characters following the period in a web address. Usually, domain name extensions are the last part of the domain name.
For example, in the ‘https://sscrailwayexamprep.in’, .in is the domain name extension. A Top-level domain (TLD) is the rightmost portion of a domain name, located just following the last dot (.).
The concept of Top-level domain or TLD was first invented by ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in the 1960s with an aim of smoothing the process of memorising the IP addresses.
The ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) differentiated top-level domains or TLDs into various categories. The classification mainly depends on the website’s purpose, owner, and geographical location.
Types Of Domain Extensions:
Generic Top Level Domains (gTLD):
Generic Top-level domains, also known as gTLDs, are the most common and well-known types of domain extensions. Some of the most common gTLDs are:
.com = It is the most popular domain extension ever and is used for commercial websites.
.net = It is also a very popular domain extension and is used for networks.
.xyz = An open domain extension available for general use.
.site = Another generic TLD that can be registered by anyone.
.info = This domain extension is mainly used for information platforms.
.biz = This domain extension is for businesses.
.org = Organisations mostly use this domain extension.
Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLD):
Sponsored TLDs are those domains that are proposed and supervised by a private organisation. Some of the popular Sponsored Top-level domains are:
.edu = It is used for higher and reputed educational organisations, such as universities, boards, or educational trusts.
.gov = this domain extension is predominantly used for governmental organisations. Various ministries around the world use .gov domains.
.cat = This is used for the Catalan (a region in Spain) linguistic and cultural community.
.travel = This domain extension is used for organisations that are related to travel businesses.
.museum = It is used for museums.
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD):
ccTLDs are those top-level domains that are used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) ccTLD identifiers are generally two letters long.
Example: .in = This domain name extension is used for India.
Some Important ccTLD codes and related countries:
| Domain Name Extensions | Countries |
| .ad | Andorra |
| .ai | Anguilla |
| .am | Armenia |
| .bz | Belize |
| .cc | Cocos Island |
| .cd | Congo |
| .ch | Switzerland |
| .de | Germany |
| .io | British Indian Ocean Territory |
| .id | Indonesia |
| .ky | Cayman Island |
| .me | Montenegro |
| .rs | Serbia |
| .mp | Northern Mariana Islands |
| .cn | China |
| .ru | Russia |
| .pk | Pakistan |
| .br | Brazil |
| .np | Nepal |
Infrastructure Top-level Domains (ARPA):
This special category domain contains only one TLD extension: ‘.arpa’ (Address and Routing Parameter Area).
.arpa domains are directly managed by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
Test Top-Level Domains (tTLD):
tTLDs are reserved for documentation purposes and local testing. These domains cannot be installed into the root zone of the DNS. There are four types of tTLDs present:
.example = It is used for place-holding.
.invalid = This is used for invalid domain names.
.localhost = It is used for usage in a local network.
.test = These domain extensions are used for testing purposes.
Previous Year Questions (PYQs):
Commercial.
Initially, .com domains were registered by commercial organisations. However, nowadays anyone can use .com domains.
.gov domains are used for governmental websites and ministries.
.mil domains are used for the military.
.net domains are used for Non-Profit Organisations.
Switzerland.
Anguilla.
Top-level domain.
The Address and Routing Parameter Area.
Test Top-level domains or tTLDs.
.xyz.
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