What is a Domain Name?
The Internet is made up of many different computers all connected together. Each computer is given an address, called an IP address. The IP address is just a bunch of numbers, like this: http://143.456.654.1.
Numbers are hard to remember, so a system was devised to create an address out of letters or words, that are much easier to remember, that point to the IP address. This is known as the Domain Name system, or DNS.
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subdomain top level domain | | txwes.edu www.cdc.gov | |
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Top-level domain
The top-level domains (TLDs) are the highest level of domain names of the Internet. There are over one thousand top level domains today. Some of the first, and perhaps best known, TLDs appear in the list to the right.
.com
Commercial site. The information provided by commercial interests is generally going to shed a positive light on the product it promotes. While this information might not necessarily be false, you might be getting only part of the picture. Remember, there's a monetary incentive behind every commercial site in providing you with information, whether it is for good public relations or to sell you a product outright. This is the largest TLD, with 128 million domains in the .com TLD.
.edu
Educational institution. Sites using this domain name are schools ranging from kindergarten to higher education. If you take a look at your school's URL you'll notice that it ends with the domain .edu. Information from sites within this domain must be examined very carefully. If it is from a department or research center at a educational institution, it can generally be taken as credible. However, students' personal Web sites are not usually monitored by the school even though they are on the school's server and use the .edu domain. The .edu TLD is one of the smaller ones, with over 7,000 domains in this TLD.
.gov
Government. If you come across a site with this domain, then you're viewing a federal government site. All branches of the United States federal government use this domain. Information such as Census statistics, Congressional hearings, and Supreme Court rulings would be included in sites with this domain. The information is considered to be from a credible source. The .gov TLD is rather small, with about 5,600 domains under this TLD.
.org
Traditionally a non-profit organization. Organizations such as the American Red Cross or PBS (Public Broadcasting System) use this domain suffix. Generally, the information in these types of sites is credible and unbiased, but there are examples of organizations that strongly advocate specific points of view over others, such as the National Right to Life Committee and Planned Parenthood. You probably want to give this domain a closer scrutiny these days. Some commercial interests might be the ultimate sponsors of a site with this suffix. The org TLD is fairly large, with over 10 million domains in the .org TLD.
.mil
Military. This domain suffix is used by the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States. The .mil TLD is one of the smaller TLD's, with less than 1,700 domains.
.net
Network. You might find any kind of site under this domain suffix. It acts as a catch-all for sites that don't fit into any of the preceding domain suffixes. Information from these sites should be given careful scrutiny. There are over 15 million domains under the .net TLD.
.int
International Organization. This domain suffix is used by international organizations. Specifically, it is strictly limited to organizations, offices, and programs endorsed by a treaty between two or more nations.