Domainname

What is a domainname and what can i use it for ?

What is a domain ?

A domain is a (virtual) space on an internet computer (webserver) where you can store information and/or services for distribution over the internet.

What is a domainname ?

A domainname represents a internet address that points to the webserver where your domain(space) is accessible. A webserver offers functionalities which enable us to use email and website services using the domainname as the address. Domainnames make it more simple for us to remember and communicate the webserver addresses.

What exactly can one do with a domainname ?

An activated domainname enables one to make use of internet functionalities like email (office@domainname.com) or an website (www.domainname.com). With this you can present yourself or your company to (new) customers/suppliers over the internet. The possibilities are endless, from online brochures to online sales and support systems.

Which domainnames are allowed ?

A domainname consists of two parts (also called levels) seperated by a dot. The first part (level 1) is the most right part and is what we refered to as 'the TLD' (Top Level Domain) also know as the domainname extension. The second part (level 2) is the part you can compose yourself. Depending on the TLD the rules for allowed characters vary. An average for these rules are that the full domainname is not to exceed 64 characters and may only consist from the characters a - z, 0 - 9 and the dash sign -.

Due to every country having its own domainextension there are many options. For example domainnames ending with the extension .be (Belgium) and .de (Germany). Besides the country TLD's there are also Global TLD's such as;

• .COM for commercial applications
• .NET for technical network applications
• .ORG for organizational information sources
• .INFO for individuals offering information
• .BIZ for companies
  
• view other domaintypes
  

Why use www. ?

The third part (level 3) of a domainname is the name of the subdomain in that domain. Seperated by another dot this part represents a different address then the domainname itself. For example, on this address you could activate a different website. The subdomain www. (which stands for World Wide Web) is used by default to address your website at the domainname. With the hosting services of I.R it is also possible to only use your domainname (without www.) to address your website. This offers you a smaller and even stronger name for your marketing activities.