A domain is a unique address on the Internet. Websites can be called up with a domain by entering this domain name in the address bar of the browser. The domain name is also important for e-mail communication: it is to the right of the “@” sign. So that the browser can establish a connection to the corresponding computer (server), which houses the desired website, the domain name must be resolved into the appropriate IP address. This resolution is done with the name servers in the Domain Name System.
Basics of domain registration
Everyone can register their own domain in many countries around the world. However, the domain name must be unique. It can therefore only be assigned once. As a rule, the first person to be assigned the desired domain name who registers this claim first, unless other claims arising from various legal situations are justifiable.
With the choice of the domain name, one is relatively free. Basically, the characters a to z and the numbers 0 to 9 as well as the simple dash can be used to form a domain name. 63 characters are possible for domains under the Top Level Domain .com.
Ideally, your own domain should be as easy to remember as possible, as short as possible and perhaps still original.
Your company name, last name or a central term around which your homepage revolves should at least be part of it so that the visitors of your website can determine a relation to your content. With DMTweb Hosting you can search for a domain and immediately initiate the registration order.
How to register your own domain?
Try searching for free domains. With DMTweb Hosting you can register a .com domain from just 12 dollars per year.
Is a certain domain name still free?
Domain name
Enter your desired domain name and click on “Check Domain”. DMTweb Hosting shows you whether the domain name can still be registered.
For customers of our DMTweb Hosting’s web hosting package, a fixed number of domain registrations is included and therefore free in the package.
Domain name resolution
With a domain, an inquiring browser can find the server on which the website and the associated materials are located, even if each server connected to the Internet can only be identified by a number, the so-called IP address. The worldwide distributed Domain Name System (DNS) resolves a domain name like www.DMTweb Hosting.com into an IP address. This works accordingly for the e-mail service: Here it is important to find out where the mail server is that is receiving the messages for a particular mailbox.
The domain must be registered so that the DNS can correctly assign the domain name and IP address. In this process, an entry is created that contains the information as to which IP address belongs to the domain name. However, there is no central registry for domain names, but rather a system of interconnected name servers that exchange information about them and, on request, supply the correct IP address for a domain.
Since the domain is to be resolved correctly worldwide, the system must ensure that the many name servers that are located all over the world and are connected to each other in a hierarchical form can supply the correct IP address.
Domain registration is a schematic overview
(1) After you have entered a desired name in the domain search box, we will check whether the name may already be occupied.
(2) If this domain name is available and you want to use the domain, we will contact a registry with a registration request. A registry is an organization that has the task of managing a specific domain such as .com (a top-level domain) – they say, a specific zone – and performing the registrations for it.
For Zone .com, this is organized by the OnlineNIC. Other organizations are responsible for domains of other countries (TLDs) or for non-country-bound domains (gTLD).
(3) The registrar will usually accept the order and your desired domain will be stored in a special database.
(4) This database also contains information on where the information about the assignment of the domain name to IP address is stored. In many cases, these are two independent servers that are called name servers because of their role.
(5) After registration, the DNS ensures that the information about the new domain and the assignment to an IP address is distributed. This process, also known as propagation, takes some time. This is also the reason why your domain, which you have just registered, is not reliably resolved everywhere, but only with a delay of maybe 24 hours.
The process takes so long because the information has to be distributed worldwide and many thousands of name servers are placed worldwide, which have the task of assigning domain names to IP addresses. The DNS is decentralized and hierarchical, which is to ensure that domain queries can be carried out quickly and that other parts of the network can take over this task even if parts of the network fail.
Domain registration validity period
Domains are usually registered for a certain period of time. Domains can be deleted or transferred. This means that the service provider who assigns the domain name to the IP address can change. In many cases, this service provider is a web hosting provider that can point the domain name to a server on which the webspace for a customer is located. Domain names can also change owners.
A domain name has some properties that are entered in the global databases that provide information about a domain name. The so-called Whois databases also contain contact to a person who is authorized to decide on the domain. This is the Admin-C entry. As a rule, the name and address of the owner are entered there.
Domain registration costs
Normally, the domain registration service means that a certain name is registered under a certain top-level domain and that domain name is made available for further use. So that the domain can be managed and certain settings can be made, the customer usually has access to a user interface that enables this administration. Here you can specify which directory the domain name should point to and which mail servers contain the mailboxes for incoming and outgoing emails.
Domains are often registered for a period of one year and billed in advance. Since the rules for the allocation and administration of domains are very different worldwide, there are also different billing models and prices for different top-level domains. The various registries are largely free in their pricing and allocation policies. Some are more liberal in terms of conditions, others more restrictive. Some are cheaper, others more expensive.
The following are examples of some price examples for domain registrations under frequently requested top-level domains. You can find the top-level domains that can be registered via DMTwebHosting in our total price list. These prices apply if you also register a domain name with the corresponding extension at DMTwebHosting.
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