Domain Name

A domain name is a string of text that identifies one or more computers on the Internet. Each domain name represents one or more IP addresses (numbers that individual computers are identified by on the Internet). However, domain names are easier to remember and use than numeric IP addresses. An example of a domain name is the “www.mysecurecyberspace.com” part of the URL "http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com."

A domain name usually has two or more parts separated by a dot. The first part of the domain name identifies the server that handles Web requests; in this case the server is called "www." The second part of the domain name is the name of the organization, site, or individual; so, for example, "mysecurecyberspace" is the name of the portal you are currently visiting. The last part, or suffix, in a domain name indicates the top-level domain that it belongs to. Possible suffixes include:

• gov: government agencies
• edu: educational institutions
• org: nonprofit organizations
• mil: military organizations
• com: commercial businesses
• net: network organizations
• ca (Canada), th (Thailand), uk (United Kingdom), etc.: countries

Computers on the Internet use IP addresses, not domain names, to communicate, so every Web server has to have a Domain Name Server (DNS) that converts domain names into IP addresses.