What Is a Domain Name and How Does It Work?

What is a domain name?

Every computer on the internet has a number called an IP address. It looks like 203.0.113.5. Numbers are hard to remember. A domain name is an easy name, like example.com, that stands for that number.

It works like the contacts list on your phone. You tap a name, not a long number.

Parts of a domain name

Take www.example.com.

• com is the top-level domain (TLD), the ending.
• example is the name you choose.
• www is a subdomain, a prefix that sits in front. You can make others, like blog.example.com.

What happens when you visit a website?

1. You type example.com in your browser.
2. Your browser asks DNS for the number that belongs to that name. DNS is like a phone book for the internet.
3. DNS answers with the IP address of the hosting server.
4. Your browser connects to that server.
5. The server sends back the website files.
6. Your browser shows the page.

All of this takes a fraction of a second.

How do you get a domain name?

1. Think of a short name that is easy to spell.
2. Check that it is free with a domain search tool.
3. Register it through a registrar. A registrar is a company allowed to sell domain names. You can check domain options in the client area.
4. Pay for the period you choose, such as one or more years.

You do not buy a domain forever. You rent it, and you must renew it before it expires.

Connecting your domain to hosting

A domain alone is only an address. Hosting is the space where your website files live. To connect them, you point the domain's nameservers to your hosting. Your welcome email lists the nameservers to use.

Quick recap

• A domain name is an easy name for a server's IP address.
• DNS looks up the number behind the name.
• You rent domains through a registrar and renew them.
• Point the domain to hosting using nameservers.