A domain name is the core of your online identity. It is the address used to make you accessible on the web. Once registered, a domain name is yours and yours alone. It may not be used by anyone else on the Internet.

Domain Names always have two or more parts, separated by periods. The part on the left (the secondary domain) is the name you choose such as “mydomain”. The right component is what is known as a top-level domain name (such as .COM, .NET or .biz).

Computers on the Internet use IP (Internet Protocol) numbers (e.g., 123.452.06.31) to locate other computers. Internet users would have a difficult time remembering these long strings of numbers to find sites, so domain names were developed to translate IP numbers into easy-to-remember domain names.
 

2. Registrant

The entity, organization, or individual who is the owner/lease holder of a particular domain name is known as the Registrant. When registering a domain name for a Company or Organization be sure that the Company or Organizations name is listed as the Registrant if you wish for the Company to have complete control over ownership/lease hold.

3. Registrar

An ICANN accredited entity (or an affiliate to such an entity) which acts on the behalf of a Registrant regarding domain name registrations or modifications, is known as a Registrar.

4. Registry

The organization responsible for the actual administration and maintenance of the top-level domain database is known as the Registry. The Registry is where Registrars create new or modify existing domain names for Registrants. For the .COM, .NET, and .ORG extensions the Registry is a US government contracted database.

5. Administrative/Technical/Billing contacts

Domain Contact Records are individuals or groups who represent a Registrant on matters related to the Registrant's domain name(s). There are three types of Contacts: Administrative, Technical, and Billing. Contacts have the ability to modify information pertaining to a domain name. A contact may be a single person, a company, or an organization.

6. DNS

DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS is basically a piece of translation software. This System translates a domain name such as Yahoo.com into IP address, allowing people to easily find the addresses of websites or other services.

The DNS record consists data similar to the following example:
Primary Nameserver: NS.SUN.COM
Primary IP address: 192.9.9.3

7. Primary and Secondary Name Servers

The Primary and Secondary Name Servers indicate the hostname of a name server that will contain authoritative data for the domain name being registered and will deliver/translate that domain name to its corresponding IP number. The designation of "secondary" indicates that the name server will be used in addition to and as a backup for the primary name server that is listed as Primary; although in a name lookup the primary does not take priority over the secondary or any other listed server.

8. Primary and Secondary IP address/numbers

IP stands for Internet Protocol. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by periods/dots. Every machine which houses information that is available on the Internet has a unique number, which correlates to its domain name.

9. Domain Parking

Registrars require Primary and Secondary Name Servers and IP Numbers for every domain registered (DNS). Every domain name has to be linked to this information for it to be valid (i.e., each domain name needs to have an address attached to it). At the time of registration some people do not yet have Name Server information (which is generally provided by a Web Host), therefore our Registrar offers 'domain parking' (free of charge) on their servers. It is a convenient way to hold or 'Park' domain name(s) for an extended amount of time if you are not ready to use them.

10. Modification of your domain name's contact information

"Modification" is a function whereby a domain name's information is updated to reflect new contact or DNS information. Administrative and Technical Contacts have the ability to modify domain name information. There is a fee to change the Registrant of a domain name. All other modifications to Administrative, Technical, Billing, and DNS are free of charge.

11. Web Host

Web Hosts offer a service where their "server" stores your web site's HTML files, and graphics (generally for a monthly fee). Their server allows your web site to be accessed / viewed over the Internet.

12. ISP (Internet Service Provider)

ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP provides access to the Internet for others via some connectivity service(s). Examples of ISPs include Gononet, BanglaNet, and ProshikaNet to name a few.

13. InterNIC

InterNIC was a U.S. government agency that has been effectively replaced by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN now oversees the domain names industry concerning the TLD's .COM, .NET, and .ORG . ICANN is technically an international organization, which holds meetings at different international locations throughout each year.

14. WHOIS

WHOIS is a term referring to a domain name search feature for the .COM, .NET, and .ORG database. The WHOIS can be used to search for the owner/lease holder of any domain name which has already been registered. This is valuable information if you wish to contact the owner of a domain name that may or may not be attached to a functioning web site.

15. Renewal

Registration for domain names needs to be renewed based on a scheduled yearly interval. This gives the Registrant (you) and the Registry an opportunity to update contact information and settle on the payment of the registration fee(s).

16. Transfer - Registrant (Domain Name Owner/Lease Holder transfer)

The procedure for change of ownership is known a Registrant Transfer. Domain names can be given to or sold to a different party, or the name of the company that owns the domain may change. The Registrar requires a process by which permission from the old owner to hand over control to the new owner is obtained and authorized by notary public documentation. There is a $15 US fee for registrant Transfers. Contact the Registrar you originally used to register the domain to request a Registrant Transfer.

17. Top Level Domain (TLD)

In the example YourCompany.net the ".NET" is the Top Level Domain. There are two types of Top Level Domains. The most common type is gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains), such as .COM, .NET., ORG. The other type of TLD is the ccTLD (country code Top Level Domains) that have been assigned to all countries and their dependencies (e.g., Germany is .de). Every TLD Registry - generic or country code - has its own prices, policies, and procedures that Registrants (name holders) in that Registry are subject to. It is important to know and be prepared to accept these terms before registering name(s) in a particular Registry. The most commonly registered names are in the .COM, .NET, and .ORG gTLD's.