{"id":10777,"date":"2022-04-01T10:50:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T10:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dopinger.com\/blog\/?p=10777"},"modified":"2024-08-21T13:15:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T13:15:15","slug":"what-is-a-domain-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dopinger.com\/blog\/what-is-a-domain-name","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Domain Name? How Should Your Domain Name Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You want to open a new website, and you will do it for the first time. Then, you are definitely wondering what a domain name is. Determining a name is one of the most basic factors needed to set up a new website. However, many people who intend to build a website do not know very well both what they are and what they do. In this article, we will explain in detail what a website domain is. Then, we will provide information about what they do. So, without wasting any time, let’s get started right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>All There Is About Domain Name<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people new to building a website are confused about the domain name. For example, many confuse a domain name with a hosting service. Frankly, such terms scare a few people who are new to this process. Because they seem like technical terms. However, it is much easier to understand than you might think. So, you may understand what a domain name means well. That is important in determining the right domain name for your website. Let’s explain this in the simplest way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost everyone knows what the URL bar does when you enter a browser. What you type here is the address of a website you want to visit. It is the name of that website. So, consider a website as a home. In this case, the domain name is also the address of this house. That is the simplest way we can describe it. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Domain<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We all know what the internet is. Or, we think we know. The internet is a gigantic network that surrounds and connects the entire world. This computer network is connected to each other via a worldwide cable network that is just as huge. These cable networks that surround the world are the basis of this internet network. Because they allow computers to communicate with each other. The system identifies an IP address for each computer connected to the network. As an example of an IP address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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71.352..23.1<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This number is a kind of identification number that identifies each computer on the web. Here, thanks to the domain names, you do not need to type these numbers each time you want to visit a website. All you have to do is open your browser as you always do. Then, type the domain name of the website in the address bar and hit enter.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Universal<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/span>Differences Between URL and Domain Name<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based on our explanation above, you may have concluded that URL and domain name are the same thing. Do not worry! Many people think like you. However, a domain name and URL are two different things. It is necessary to understand the URL to understand the differences between them. So, what is a URL?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

URL stands for Universal Resource Locator. A URL and a domain name have many similarities. However, a URL usually serves to take you to a specific web page you want to go to rather than a website. More precisely, they are unique addresses of pages on the web. A URL always contains the domain name of the website it is affiliated with. However, they are often quite long. And they may consist of many random combinations of numbers and letters. So, it is extremely difficult to remember them. Therefore, every user who wants to visit a specific web page directly needs the URL of that web page. Otherwise, it may be necessary to search for that page within a website for minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a friend of yours describes a shoe she likes on an e-commerce website. And you try to find it by searching every page on that site. How hard would that be? Without URLs, you\u2019ve to go to that website with its domain name and search for this page among thousands of other product pages. You can be sure that this will take hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A URL consists of three parts. These parts are protocol, domain, and path, respectively. A URL’s protocol specifies whether the website to which it belongs has an SSL certificate. The domain is the domain name, clearly, of the website to which the page belongs. The path is the part that addresses how to get to the page via the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>How Do Domain Names Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you wonder how a domain name works? We need to explain what happens when you enter your browser first to understand this. You can do this with me if you wish. You have opened your browser. Then, you typed a domain name in the address bar. Finally, you hit enter. How simple isn’t it? However, you can be sure that a much more complex process is going on behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By pressing enter, your browser sends an access request to the global network of servers. This global network of servers forms the Domain Name System. It sounds familiar, doesn’t it? You know it as DNS for short. The servers that receive the access request start looking for name servers related to that domain. After finding the relevant name server, it forwards the access request to it. A name server consists of a number that identifies it, the name of its host, and the top-level domain. Here is an example of a name server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ns2.hostinger.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As you can see from here, name servers are computers administrated by hosting companies. This company that hosts the website you want to access also forwards your request to the computer which hosts it. This computer is the webserver of the website you want to access. They run with server-specific software. Thanks to this software, it fetches the components of the website you want to access. It then finally sends this data to the browser that has requested access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh my God, I can hear you say. Here’s everything that happens when you submit a request for access to a website. Let me remind you that it doesn’t even take a second to access most of the time. Now, what about examining the domain name types?<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Types<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/span>What Are The Types of Domain Names?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you know what the com you add to the end of a domain name means? It is a domain name extension. Com is the most popular one among all extensions. However, we may list other popular domain extensions as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n