Domain Name: Definition, Structure and DNS

A domain is a name used to identify and locate web resources on the Internet. This includes websites, email servers and other types of internet services. A domain is part of a web address (URL) and is a unique record through which a web browser accesses a particular web page.

You can think of a domain as your home postal address – if you didn’t have one, you wouldn’t be able to receive mail. But if we don’t have our own domain registered, internet users can’t find our website. So we use a domain name so that people can access online resources, because it is easier to use a domain name than to remember the IP address of every server on the internet.

Table of contents

• Domain structure
  • Domain extension
  • Domain name
  • Subdomain
• DNS – Domain Name System
  • DNS records
  • DNS servers

Domain structure

A domain consists of two parts: the domain name and the domain extension. For example, in the domain “neoserv.si”, “neoserv” is the domain name and “.si” is the domain extension.

Each domain is unique, so it is not possible to register two identical domains. Before registering a new domain, it is necessary to check that the desired domain is still available and therefore does not currently belong to another individual (natural person) or company (legal entity).

You can check the availability of a domain in the domain checker on our website or at www.preveri.si.

Domain extension (top-level domain)

There are different domain extensions such as .si, .com, .net, .eu, .org, .gov, .edu, .shop and many others that specify a country or territory, type of organisation or activity. TLDs are managed by TLD registrars, e.g. Verisign Inc. in the USA for .com and Register.si in Slovenia for .si. The entire domain system operates under the auspices of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

There are different types of domain extensions:

• National: .si, .eu, .hr, .de, .it, .uk, .fr, .es …
• General: .com, .net, .gov, .biz, .edu, .info …
• Thematic: .shop, .blog, .news, .agency, .fun, .eco …

The choice of domain extension is important for several reasons:

• Identification of the type of content: The domain extension indicates the type of content or website that the visitor can expect (.gov for example belongs to government agencies, .edu to educational institutions).
• Geographic focus: National domain extensions belong to specific countries or regions, helping to attract visitors from that area (.si is the national domain of Slovenia, so it is highly trusted by visitors from Slovenia).
• Market presence: When choosing a domain extension, it is important to consider competition and market visibility. In some cases, choosing a more popular domain extension, such as .com, can help to increase visibility and trust among visitors.

At NEOSERV we offer registration of more than 1,000 domains at the lowest prices in Slovenia.

Domain name

A domain name can usually consist of 2 to 63 characters, depending on the TLD registrar that sets the rules for each domain extension. If the desired domain name (in combination with a specific domain extension) is already registered, we are left with three options:

• come up with another domain name that is still available for registration,
• register the desired domain name in combination with another domain extension,
• contact the current domain name holder and enquire about the possibility of buying it.

When choosing a domain name, we need to be aware that it is our “online name”, which we are likely to use for a long time. It is therefore a good idea to take the time to consider different names in peace.

The essential guidelines for choosing a good domain name are:

• Simplicity and memorability: The domain name should be short, easy to pronounce and easy to remember.
• Relevance: It should reflect the content or purpose of the website. In the case of a domain name for a company, it makes sense to register a domain name whose name is the same as the company name.
• Avoid complex letter combinations: It is important to avoid using complex letter combinations that could confuse visitors or lead to errors when registering the domain.
• Avoid hyphens and numbers: In most cases, the use of hyphens is not recommended (not always!) as they can cause confusion. The same applies to numbers, which should be avoided.

When choosing a domain name, it is crucial to think about how the name will sound, how it will look written and how it will be remembered by visitors. This is an important part of building brand awareness online, so just take your time and come up with a name that will impress.

Subdomain

A subdomain is the part of the domain structure that precedes the domain name. It is separated from it by a period and can contain any string of words or numbers. A domain can have several subdomains, which are used to create hierarchy and to facilitate the organisation of content on a website.

Subdomains are suitable for a variety of uses:

• Website sections: you can create any section of a website, e.g. “blog.domain.com” for a blog, “shop.domain.com” for a shop and “support.domain.com” for a support centre.
• Localisation: subdomains can be used for different language versions of the website, e.g. “si.domena.com” for Slovenian, “hr.domena.com” for Croatian and “de.domena.com” for German.
• Development: Subdomains are often used by developers and other webmasters for development and testing purposes, e.g. “dev.domena.com” or “test.domena.com”.
• Departments or services: If a company offers several services, each can be presented on its own subdomain, e.g. “translation.domain.com” and “proofreading.domain.com”.

Each sub-domain may have its own separate content but belong to the same main domain. This means that the subdomains do not need to be additionally registered and are therefore free to use.

DNS – Domain Name System

DNS is the Domain Name System, which is responsible for translating human-readable domains into their corresponding IP addresses. This makes it easier to access online services, as domain names are much easier for users to remember than IP numbers.

DNS records

DNS works on the basis of records that are stored in distributed computer servers around the world. DNS records include information about which IP address is associated with a particular domain and which services or subdomains are associated with that domain.

The basic types of DNS records are:

• A (Address): Specifies the relationship between a domain name and its IPv4 address.
• AAAA (IPv6 Address): Specifies the association between a domain name and its IPv6 address.
• CNAME (Canonical Name): Used to create connections between different domains.
• MX (Mail Exchange): Specifies which servers are responsible for receiving e-mail for a specific domain.
• NS (Name Server): Specifies the authoritative servers for a specific domain. These are the servers with permission to update records for that domain.
• PTR (Pointer): Used to establish a link between an IP address and a domain name, which is important in the process of reverse lookup of domain names.

DNS records allow web services to be routed and identified based on human-readable names, making it easier for users to navigate the Internet. The DNS is essential to the functioning of the Internet, providing a translation between domain names and their actual locations (IP addresses).

DNS servers

The main job of DNS servers is to answer DNS queries sent by computers when they want to translate a human-readable domain name into its corresponding IP address. In this way, DNS servers play a key role in the functioning of the Internet by making it easy to access websites, e-mail and other Internet services.

There are different types of DNS servers:

• Authoritative DNS servers: These contain information about a specific domain. When they receive a DNS query for a specific domain, they respond with information about that domain, such as the IP address or other DNS records.
• Recursive DNS servers: Receive a DNS query from a user’s device and, if the information is not cached locally, look up the answer in hierarchically distributed authoritative servers.
• Root DNS servers: They represent the top level of the DNS hierarchy and are responsible for routing DNS queries to the correct authoritative servers responsible for a specific domain.
• Cache DNS servers: Many recursive DNS servers and even user devices cache information about recent DNS queries, which helps to answer frequent queries more quickly by eliminating the need to repeatedly look up information at higher levels of the DNS hierarchy.

In order to point a domain to a specific server, e.g. where we have a web hosting lease, we need to register DNS servers for it. Usually, a primary and a secondary DNS server are entered (example: sh1.neoserv.si / sh2.neoserv.si). After the entry, it is necessary to wait a few more hours (usually from 2 to 24) for the top DNS servers to refresh themselves worldwide.

At NEOSERV, you can register the DNS servers for your domains yourself in the My NEOSERV Subscription Centre. It is also possible to register DNS records, which also gives you free DNS hosting.