Domain Introduction
A domain name is the unique name of a computer on the Internet that distinguishes it from the rest.

Every website on the Internet is hosted on a computer (server). Each server has a unique IP address which is nothing but a unique set of numbers, such as "207.142.131.235". To access a particular website, one can specify its IP address in an appropriate application, such as a web browser; however because it is difficult to remember numbers, each IP address is associated with a fully qualified host name (a domain name), such as "www.domainmonk.com".

Translating numeric addresses to alphabetical ones, domain names allow Internet users to localize and visit websites.

Domain Name Examples
The following examples illustrates the difference between a URL and a Domain name:

URL: http://www.domainmonk.com Domain name: domainmonk.com (subdomain: www) Server name: www.domainmonk.com

In any situation where a URL is used, the IP address and the server name are interchangeable.

Domain Names Official assignment
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) controls the domain name root to regulate the Internet (accrediting domain names registrars...) and manage the DNS.

Domain names which are theoritically leased can be considered in the same way that real estate due to a significant impact on online brand building and advertising, search engine optimization...

Top Level Domains
Every domain name ends in a top level domain (TLD) name, which is always either one of a small list of general names, or a ISO-3166 two character country code.

Examples of global Top Level Domain extensions (gTLDs) are:

.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info...

Examples of country code Top Level Domain extensions (ccTLDs) are:

.us, .uk, .fr, .es, .de, .it...


External Domain Names links
Icann.org (http://www.icann.org), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
UDRP (http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp.htm), Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy.
Internic.net (http://www.internic.net), public information regarding Internet domain name registration services.
IcannWatch.org (http://www.icannwatch.org), a watchdog group that publishes ICANN-related news and articles.





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