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TOP LEVEL INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES


BACKGROUND

A domain name represents an Internet Protocol resource that enables access to the internet. Its origin can be dated as far back as the era of the ARPANET. It defines a particular authority or autonomy within the internet, and they are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS). But prior to this, each computer on the network retrieved the host file, i.e., host.txt, from a computer that is currently at SRI, which mapped hostnames to numerical addresses. This was how networks on the ARPANET operated until commercial activities and technological advancements made it possible to maintain a centrally organized hostname registry. The Domain Name System was thus introduced on the ARPANET in 1983 and published by the Internet Engineering Task Force as RFC 882 and RFC 883.

Domain names which are the offset of the DNS root (the mother domain which is nameless) exist in a hierarchy, which can be divided into two main categories; the first category is the first level domain otherwise known as top-level domains, while the second and third-level domain names typically apply on local area networks for end-users who wish to connect such to the internet, run websites or create other internet resources which can be accessed by the public. The focus of this article will, however, be on top-level domain names.


TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES

As earlier stated, top-level domain names is at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System(DNS) of the Internet. It usually is the last part of the domain name, for instance, in the domain name www.facebook.com the top-level domain is “.com”. Though arguably the most popular top-level domain name, other prominent top-level domain names exist which include; .net, .edu, .info, .net, and .org. Responsibility for management of most top-level domains is delegated to specific organizations by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which operates the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and is in charge of maintaining the DNS root zone.

Within the top-level domains are groups, and as of 2015, IANA distinguishes them as:

  • infrastructure top-level domain (ARPA): which consists of one domain, the Address and Routing Parameter Area. It is on behalf of the internet Engineering task force managed by IANA purposes
  • generic top-level domains (gTLD): These are top-level domains with three or more characters and shall be further discussed
  • sponsored top-level domains (sTLD): These are sponsored mostly by private organisations or agencies who establish and enforce restrive rles governing the
  • restricted generic top-level domains (grTLD): as the name implies are restricted and mnged strictly under official ICANN accredited registrars.
  • country-code top-level domains (ccTLD): these are two-letter domains established for countries or territories, the code for most territories is the same as its two-letter ISO 3166 code, this is however not with some exceptions
  • restricted generic top-level domains (grTLD): as the name implies are restricted and managed strictly under official ICANN accredited registrars.
  • internationalized country code top-level domains (IDN ccTLD): ccTLDs in a non-Latin character sets (e.g., Arabic, Cyrillic, Hebrew, or Chinese).
  • test top-level domains (tTLD): These group of domains are absent from the root zone. they were installed solely for testing purposes under the .test process.

This article is particularly interested in two groups of TLD: country top-level domains and generic top level domains.

COUNTRY TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS

Where you find a TLP domain that has just two letters or is not of the prominent TLD like .com, .org, .edu, chances are it is a country domain. Such website has the origin of its business in another country or is hosted by a server in another country. Examples of some countries and their domain names is listed in the table below:

TABLE 1:


DOMAIN EXTENSION



Ac

Ae

Af

Ao

Aq

Ar

As

At

Au

Aw

Az

Ba


Bb

Bd

Be

Bf

Br

Bs

Ca

Ch

Ci

Cm

Cn

Co

De

Dj

Dk

Dm

Do

Eg

Fr



COUNTRY



United Kingdom academic institutions

United Arab Emirates

Afghanistan

Angola

Antarctica

Argentina

American Samoa

Austria

Australia

Aruba

Azerbaijan

Bosnia and Herzegovina


Barbados

Bangladesh

Belgium

Burkina Faso

Brazil

Bahamas

Canada

Switzerland

Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Cameroon

China

Colombia

Germany

Djibouti

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Egypt

France





GENERIC TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS

From the year 2013, a host of new and creative domain extensions were developed. These nTLDS were more generic in nature and allowed for a wide range of combinations which could be specified to a particular interest or profession. nTLDs are the new wave and the most preferred domain extensions because of the generic characteristics which is applicable regardless of the industry. Some examples include: .media, .design, .news, .club, .coach, .photography, .dance, .attorney etc.

TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN LIST

Since 2014, hundreds of new generic top level domains have been launched into the marketplace by ICANN , from .info, .biz, .name to .club which was launced in 2014. Last year domain names were launched successfully such as .africa and .eco, as well as gTLDs like .creditunion and .fun. and they have all enjoyed wide acceptance an usage as preferred domain names,

As at 2017, it was reported that approximately 330.6 million domain names had been registered. The internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) maintains the list of valid top-level domains and this list is usually obtained from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICAAN). The top 10 ccTLDs in terms of names actively under management as of 2017 are as follows: .cn (China), .tk (Tokelau) , .de (Germany), .uk (United Kingdom), .ru (Russian Federation) , .nl (Netherlands) , .br (Brazil), .eu (European Union), .fr (France) , .au (Australia)

2018 has however witnessed a shift in the paradigm towards more gTLDs to accommodate technological advancement. At an Innovation Summit which held in Tampa Bay in March which was attended by Michael Ward, he recounts seeing during the exhibition a lot of brands showcasing new generic domain names such as; .global, .world, .exchange, .cash etc. Most of these top-level domain names are born out their preferred generic nature and its adaptability with the brand of the domain owner. The following TLD are however the most anticipated of them all this year and are expected to be a huge success following their anticipated launch: .bot, .radio, .bank, .kpmg

Conclusively with artificial intelligence (Cortana, Alexa) and bots becoming preferred to apps, with social media making its most significant impact this year, 2018 is bound to witness an influx of generic top-level Domain names, just try not to act puzzled by the peculiarity of some.