Each page you access on the Internet has a domain and you may have wondered what termination depends on or how you can hire your own domain to host your company’s website, to create your own blog or simply to Have a personal page with all your information. There are many types of Internet domains and we review everything you need to know about them.
Everything you need to know about domains , who controls them or how to get one, what is their price, how they differ, how they are hired …
What is a domain?
A domain is the name given to a website and that corresponds to a particular category. That is, a name that is given to a specific site on the Internet, to a subarea, and that also gives us information about what type of page or site it is or even where it belongs. For example, we can know the country to which it belongs through .es or .fr domains or even the content in it depending on the type of domain, such as .edu, for example.
Internet domains began to be used in the 1980s and it was at this time that they were divided into two groups: the top-level domains and the generic top-level domains that seek to represent multi-organizations and possible specific areas such as education, etc. .
Who manages the domains?
It will depend on the type of domains managed by one organization or another. In each country there is an organization that regulates the domains that are appropriate for that country. For example, in Spain, Red.es is the company that has the task of coordinating and keeping track of the domains that are registered as .es. As they explain from their own website, Red.es’s actions are carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda in accordance with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names Numbers) and the guidelines derived from international market.
Globally, ICANN is the company responsible for regulating and assigning domain names that are not linked to any particular country, such as .com, .net or .org. It is a nonprofit organization in the United States that coordinates, assigns and manages Internet addresses. ICANN was created as a replacement for the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), the authority in charge of assigning Internet numbers and domains such as .int and.artpa. Now, the latter now works as the department of the first.
Domain Types
There are many different types of domains, with different functions.
- First Level Domains
- Generic Top Level Domains
- Top Level Geographic Domains
- Third Level Domains
- Subdomains
Generic
Generic domains are first level domains called gTLD or generic Top Level Domain. These are domains used throughout the world and that allow “define” what is inside that site or what work the company does. For example, if they are of education or are organizations or are domains dedicated to trade.
The generic domains are the domains:
- .com for commercial use
- .info for information websites
- .net for networks and Internet service providers
- .org for organizations
- .gov for some government agencies
- .edu for education pages and websites
- .int for international organizations such as NATO
- .mil for the United States military
But there are also many other domains that have been appearing in recent times and are less known. For example:
- .name for personal websites
- .biz for business websites
- .me for personal websites
- .mobi for telephone companies or mobile services
- .jobs for employment or human resources departments
- .tel for telecommunications
- .tv for websites and television pages.
- .xxx for pages with adult content
We also find all kinds of extensions much less known and unusual but super specialized in what we need. For example, on the Arsys website you can buy domains .boutique, .cam, .beer, .bike … Virtually any extension you can think of will be available for a price that is usually around 30 or 40 euros on this website.
Geographical
Beyond the generic top-level domains, there are geographic top-level domains that let us know where the website we are going to visit is. They dominate ccTLD or country code Top Level Domain and are focused on a country or a specific territory, such as celebrities.es or .fr
Some of the most common and you’ll find on the Internet are:
- .ar, for Argentina services
- .cat, for pages related to Catalonia
- .cn, for Chinese services
- .de, for Germany services
- .eu, for European Union countries
- .eus for services of the Basque Country
- .es, for services in Spain
- .fr, for services in France
- .gal, for pages related to culture and language
- .it, for services in Italy
- .jp, for Japan services
- .kr, for South Korean services
- .uk, for UK pages
- .uy, for Uruguay services
- .ve, for Venezuela services
- .madrid for Madrid web pages
- .barcelona for websites of the Catalan capital
Third level
Beyond the well-known top-level Internet domains, there are third-level domains that have the same purpose as gTLD domains but also include territorial identity. That is, domains such as .edu.es that indicate the thematic category (education, in this case) but also the place to which what you are registering belongs .
Subdomains
A subdomain is a web address or an attachment to a domain . What this subdomains do is that they take us to a specific section of a page without having to enter it and look for the exact section. For example, if you have a company or an online store and want to make a subdomain for your blog. Automatically just go to https://blog.eldominioquesea.com.
How much do domains cost?
It will depend on the domain you want to register and in recent times they have been embroiled in controversy over the rise in prices of .com domains or .org domains. The latter were to be sold to a private company and this could have allowed prices to be raised for domains of non-profit organizations around the world. But the sale has stopped and prices will remain. The official spokesperson for the members of the Internet Society (ISOC) ensures that they do not proceed with the sale if a series of requirements are not met.
The prices of Internet domains will depend on the type they are … They can range from seven or eight euros for the most common to almost 80 euros for some that are .xxx of specific content for adults. In general, registering “Spanish” domains such as .com.es or domains such as .org.es will hardly cost us two or three euros, although it will depend on the page from which you are going to contract, the services that include the purchase of domain or offers currently available.
Many websites, in addition, allow us to register a free domain during the first year or almost free and we will only have to pay maintenance from the second year of use. In general, the .es and .com domains are usually the most affordable and also the most requested, ranging between 5 or 10 euros but with offers on many websites that allow us to find them even for less than one euro during the first year , according to some conditions.
As we specialize a little more, in .me or .mobi or .tv domains we will have to pay a more expensive price that would already reach almost thirty euros during the first year. We must also bear in mind that buying a domain not only means paying once for it but we must make an annual renewal and each year you will have to pay to keep it active.
Buy or request a domain
There are many websites where you can buy Internet domains and not only offer this but you will find additional services or packages with different options available such as emails, spam filters, storage space … You can choose the registration website that you want or that gives you more confidence and the price will vary slightly from one to another although there are some minimums established for all types of domain. You will have to choose the pack or offer that suits you and choose the extension you want to register.
Some of the best known domain pages are:
What you should do is:
- Choose the platform or website where you are going to register it
- Check the availability of the domain you want
- Choose what type of domain, based on available options
- Add a headline that will handle it
- Choose the duration you want or need
- Add or not possible options or extras, such as hosting
- Pay the corresponding domain
See if it has “permanence” in case you want a domain of only a few months or a year (for a specific event) since some platforms offer you a good price in exchange for a minimum of years with that registration, for example, and you must Pay for maintenance with an annual payment that may vary.
Request a .es domain
In Spain, you can request a .es domain to identify your company, an agency or even your name. You can do it with .es for companies, names or organizations or you can do it .com.es with a lower price for special events such as a festival or concert. There are also .nom.es domains in Spain or .org.es domains for organizations.
They can be requested as long as links are maintained with the country. According to the official website of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, people who follow these conditions can apply for domains in Spain:
- Individuals or legal entities and entities without personality that maintain links with Spain can request any “.es” domain or “.com.es” domains
- The “.nom.es” domains may be requested by natural persons who maintain links with Spain.
- Non-profit entities or groups that maintain links with Spain may register the “.org.es” domains.
- The domains with the code “.gob.es” are reserved to the Spanish Public Administrations and the entities dependent on it.
- Entities, institutions or groups with or without legal personality that have official recognition and carry out activities related to teaching or research in Spain, may obtain “.edu.es” domains.
Once you have applied for the domain, it will be assigned according to the order you arrive at. That is, if someone has requested the same domain before you, it will be for that person. In addition, from said Ministry they ensure that you must take into account that it complies with the syntax rules , that it is not included in the list of prohibited terms, that it is not previously assigned or that it is not included in the list of reserved terms (organizations, constitutional bodies, Royal House …)
To request it, you can do it through an accredited registrar. That is, companies that have been accredited to register these Internet domains once you pay for them. It will be from these pages or registration agents where you can pay what corresponds and be able to enjoy the services offered.
