What are Top Level Domains (TLDs) and how do they work?

Whenever you type a domain name, you will always need to type something after the period, such as .com , .report , .org , etc These three letters are vital for the address you enter to take you somewhere and are called Top Level Domains (TLDs).

The three letters are always at the end of the domain name, but are they that important? Can you tell what information the site has just by reading these three letters? By not typing them, you might be redirected to the wrong site or nowhere.

What are Top Level Domains or TLDs?

Top-level domains are also called Internet domain extensions or domain suffixes. Thanks to TLDs, you can instantly know what kind of information the site has to offer. For example, if the URL you enter ends in .gov, you know you will find government information.

Each TLD has a self-contained registry managed by a particular organization. This specific organization is under the control of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICANN).

But why are there so many TLDs? Since a TLD tells you what is associated with it, such as its geographic area, who it belongs to, or its purpose, there will be several to choose from.

How many types of top-level domains are there?

There are six main types of TLDs recognized by ICANN:

1. Country Code TLD (ccTLD) – Each country has its own TLD based on the two-letter ICO code. For example, the TLD for the United States is .us and the TLD for Mexico is .mx. This TLD will only have two letters instead of three.
2. Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) – These types of TLDs are called generic for historical reasons. As of March this year, the number of generic TLDs exceeded 1,200 and there are different types of gTLDs such as sponsored, geographic and branded. Examples of generic TLDs are .com, .org, .info, and .net. Anyone can register these types of TLDs.
3. Infrastructure (arpa) top-level domains – This TLD includes only one and is controlled by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. The only one in this area is arpa, which stands for Address and Routing Parameter Area.
4. Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) – Private organizations are the ones that manage these TLDs. Examples of sponsored top-level domains are .asia, .edu, .aero, .museum, .jobs, .mobi, and .gov. These TLDs are restricted and will only be assigned if certain guidelines are met.
5. Creative top-level domains – .tv (for TV shows and other video projects), .name (for sites that focus on a specific person), .me (personal branding projects), .expert (to show the world that you've mastered a specific niche), and . guru (does the same as the previous TLD).
6. Internationalized top-level domains (IDN) – These types of TLDs can be seen in a native alphabet. If you see one with the letters .ykp, that's the IDN for Ukraine.

Not all top-level domain names are used in production networks:for example, TLDs such as .example, .invalid, .localhost, and .test. The use of these TLDs is in the name itself. Another example is .test which is used in tests.

Conclusion

Once you know what TLDs are for, you at least have an idea of ​​what kind of information awaits you on this site. Since there are so many, you may only learn about the ones you use the most, but it's always a good idea to at least have an idea of ​​what most of them mean. How important are TLDs to you? Let us know in the comments.