Top Level Domains (TLDs) represent the highest tier in the Domain Name System hierarchy and play an important role in the URL address structure; they are the suffix that appears after the domain name, refer to the examples below.

EXAMPLE:
https://www.domain-name.com (.com is the TLD)
https://www.domains.co.za (.co.za is the gTLD)

Top Level Domain – TLD

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is the web address used to access websites on the Internet. The most popular top-level domain globally is .com.

For URLs like ours (refer example 2 above) the TLD is the suffix: .co.za. Examples of top-level domains in the Western world include Amazon.com and Google.com. where .com is the TLD

Each TLD belongs to a specific group, encompassing various categories to help classify and communicate the purpose of the domain names they are part of.

Generic Top Level Domain – gTLD

These TLDs are considered generic and typically have three or more letters. Some of the most recognisable domain names fall under the category, generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) oversees their management. You can find the official list of gTLDs on ICANN’s website.

<a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_top-level_domain” alt=”Link to Wikipedia – Generic Top Level Domain – gTLD” title=”Wikipedia – Generic Top Level Domain – gTLD” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>

The most common usages of generic top-level domains include:

.com – commercial enterprises

.org – organisations, mostly charities

.net – networks

.gov – US governmental agencies

.edu – educational institutions

Country Code Top Level Domain – ccTLD

These two-letter TLDs are based on the ISO 3166 code, for specific nations, territories, and sovereign states. ICANN controls ccTLD administration. Consult ICANN’s official catalogue to peruse the entire list of ccTLDs.

Some top-level domain examples for country codes include:

.za – South Africa

.us – United States

.uk – United Kingdom

.au – Australia

.de – Germany

.fi – Finland

.fr – France

.jp – Japan

Geographic Top Level Domain – geoTLD

These Top-Level Domains are considered an unofficial group. They are closely associated with places, languages, and cultures, indicating geographic affiliations. They highlight the connection between a domain name and a specific region or cultural identity.

For instance, domains like .joburg or .africa reflect their geographic ties. ICANN has a specific list of geoTLDs including these geographically linked domains, helping to classify and communicate their regional significance.

Additional Information

How it Works

When one enters a domain name like amazon.com into their browser’s search bar, the DNS servers initiate a search process by interacting with the TLD server. Since the TLD is .com in this example, the DNS server communicates with the .com TLD server. This interaction is essential because the TLD server holds information about the domain’s IP address.

The .com TLD server then provides the IP address of the hosting server for amazon.com. With this IP address, the browser establishes a connection to the hosting server, allowing the user to access the website. This process ensures the domain name entered by the user is translated into the correct IP address, facilitating seamless navigation to the desired web page.

ICANN Lists of TLDs

– gTLDs (Generic Top Level Domains), which are usually 3 or more letters in length – the ICANN list of current gTLDs.

– ccTLDs (Country Code Top Level Domains), these are 2 letters and are generally based on the ISO 3166 code – ICANN list of ccTLDs.

– geoTLDS (Geographic Top Level Domains), these are associated to countries and cultures – ICANN list of geoTLDs.