1. What is a domain?
A domain or domain name is a unique, symbolic name or term for a specific area or a host on the Internet. This name is usually entered in the form of an internet address in the browser to access a specific website.
Domain names look like this, for example:
ihre-eigene-domain.ch
www.emubox.ch
blog.emubox.ch
2. How does a domain work?
Behind each domain, there is the IP address of the server on which the website is hosted. To avoid having to remember the long strings of numbers that are IP addresses, the domain was invented.
So when you enter a domain into the address bar of your browser, a request is sent to the responsible nameserver. The nameserver searches its database for the correct IP address of that domain and sends it to the browser. This allows your browser to display the desired website. This typically happens within milliseconds.
3. How is a domain structured?
Domain names are hierarchically structured and consist of three levels:
- Top-Level Domain
- Second-Level Domain
- Third-Level Domain (also called "subdomain")
The individual levels are always separated by a dot.
In the domain beispiel.ihre-eigene-domain.ch, the three levels look like this:
| beispiel.ihre-eigene-domain.ch |
The «.ch» is the Top-Level Domain. |
| beispiel.ihre-eigene-domain.ch |
The section with «ihre-eigene-domain» is called Second-Level Domain. |
| beispiel.ihre-eigene-domain.ch |
The prefix «beispiel» is the Third-Level Domain or Subdomain. |
3.1 Top-Level Domain
The Top-Level Domain (TLD) corresponds to the last part, i.e., the suffix of a domain name. For example, most Swiss websites use the domain suffix «.ch», while German domains use the suffix «.de». These country-specific top-level domains also carry the abbreviation «ccTLD» (country-code top-level domain).
In addition to the country-specific top-level domains, there are also generic top-level domains (abbreviated «gTLD»). These do not denote countries but are dedicated to specific purposes and topics: for example, «.com» stands for commercial websites, «.biz» for businesses, and «.museum» for museums.
An overview of the top-level domains available at Emubox and their prices can be found on our website.
3.2 Second-Level Domain
The Second-Level Domain corresponds to a freely selectable domain name that you can register for yourself. Therefore, the Second-Level Domain is often simply referred to as the «domain name».
3.3 Third-Level Domain
A Third-Level Domain (also called a «subdomain») is an addition that appears before the actual domain name and is separated by a dot. For more information about third-level domains, please see this article.
4. What is the significance of a domain?
The domain name is an important part of a company's identity. In the context of founding a company and choosing a name, it is usually checked whether the desired domain name is still available. However, private individuals should also carefully consider whether they want to register the corresponding domain before someone else does. For example, if you want to create a website later, the desired domain name may already be taken.