Domain name

This is the unique person-friendly address or 'URL' of a particular web site. e.g. www.google.co.uk

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.

A domain name always maps to a specific IP address on the Internet.

A domain name resolves to a specific IP address by means of a dedicated computer called the Root Name Server. This machine (or cluster of computers) is a fundamental part of the Internet.

This might seem to be a simple thing, namely a convenient way of converting an IP address into a person-friendly format.

But a URL can be worth millions / billions- even a small mis-spelling of a major site can be of value and so companies tend to keep a serious check on the possible URL variations of a name. For example, try the following in your browser.

www.google.co.uk

www.google.eu

www.google.biz

No doubt you will still get the same search box in your browser.

This is because a major company has made sure it owns all the major URLs for the brand name.

Now enter this in your browser

https://173.194.35.152/

This is one of the most basic IP addresses behind the name of Google.

So in summary, a domain name resolves to an IP address via the DNS servers. A number of domain names can point to the same IP address.

It does cost to keep the various URLs to point to the same final IP address as each domain 'registrar' keeps its own record and requires an annual or more fee to keep the URL relevant..

2020-10