How to choose a domain name?

TTo choose a domain name, it is useful to understand how the Domain Name System (DNS) works. DNS is also confusingly referred to as a name server/domain system server (DSS), but is more frequently called the DNS system.

The DNS is a directory of the names of all registered web domains. The DNS matches the URLs (Unique Resource Locators) of a web page, the name of the website, to the IP (Internet Protocol) associated with the webpage.

The IP address is a string of numbers, which is hard for users to remember, and is stored in the URL. To enable users to store memorable names instead of numbers assigned to website URLs, they register their “domain name” with the DNS system. The DNS matches the name with the serialised numbers and is used to point the website’s URL to its IP address.

The DNS is set into motion when searches are carried out for web pages by a computer or any other device (client). The search is sent to a server. Devices use a browser to search servers. The browser sends a request to a server to look up the DNS network. This is also termed a forward DNS lookup. If you type the IP address and ask for the domain name, this is known as a reverse DNS lookup.

The network of servers is connected by underground pipes/ cables that send packets of information from the client to the servers to the DNS that can be located anywhere in the world. Most of this infrastructure is physical and built by companies located and registered in the United States.

Everything that is connected to the internet has an IP address. An IP address connects each unique device to the internet, be it a mobile phone/ smart device/website.

Browsers and the browser engines help you search through this directory. Chrome, Edge, Opera, Safari, Yahoo, and Mozilla are all performing the same basic function - finding a URL by its name and connecting it to its IP address by searching the DNS for the user. This address can be stored in the local memory of your computer or the memory (cache) of the browser engine, and ultimately it is stored with a web-host.

A host stores all of this information and rents out space on the servers they pay for, as each individual would find it difficult to have a server in their own homes or even in offices. Some companies now do not store all of this information on servers on their premises (known as on-prem). Instead, they choose to store information on a server that is accessed by the internet or the “cloud”.

If you are building a website, the first prerequisite is to choose a name for your website and register it with the DNS. To purchase a name, it must not already be owned by somebody else, and you have to choose a unique name. To do this, you may have to purchase it from a 3rd-party that already subscribes to the DNS system, and you can check if the name you have chosen is unique and purchase it.

As this is a lucrative business, names are only sold for a period of time on a subscription basis, and you have to pay to renew your ownership of the name every year, or for the length of time you choose to purchase your web name for.

Often, hosting services sell names as well - for example, if you use GoDaddy/ BlueHost/ Amazon Web Services (AWS) the request will reach the GoDaddy servers or the BlueHost servers to find your website, or the Web name you are seeking to purchase. If you change your web host to AWS, then the request will go to the AWS servers to find your website. There is often a fee to migrate your name to a new host.

NameCheap, sells domain names and has an overview of what the DNS is, to guide users on how to purchase a suitable web-name and how the DNS works.

How to choose a domain name service provider?

A domain name can have different extensions .com/ .org/ etc. Domain names give content-creators control over the content they want to publish across the internet.

ICANN, International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is the international directory that the DNS refers to for web names. The organisation ensures there is no duplication of IP addresses (the number relating to your domain name) or the actual name itself. ICANN’s principal job is to reconcile the name of the site with the IP number and publish it in an internationally accessible directory. This is used both by the DNS and hosting companies. If you are a content creator, you will need to purchase a domain name. There are several resellers of domain names that are linked to ICANN, allowing you to buy domain names and connect to the registry maintained by ICANN.

ICANN aims to keep the internet safe, stable, interoperable and secure. It plays a coordination role in domain name registration. It has contracts with registrars of domain names, but does not register these domain names. It defines how the name system is defined, expands and governed with policy inputs. The registered purchaser of a domain name is registered in the WHOIS protocol. If the look-up fails, ICANN is a fallback option for the registry, but this is not its primary role.

Any domain name service provider allows you to purchase a domain name. How do you choose between them? There is no one-size-fits-all. It is based on your needs. If you want a site on a short-term basis, the cheapest service provider is great. If you want to maintain a brand and get additional services, doing some research on hosting services combined with domain name purchases is a good investment in time.

Sometimes, you may want to purchase a domain name and think about the rest of the process - hosting, designing and maintaining your site - after you have purchased the name. Since this takes time, it is worth purchasing a name and not purchasing hosting at all. Once again, the cheapest service works best till you have a design, architecture and plan for your content.

What is a sub-domain and how is it different from a domain name?

The domain hierarchy is how each of the elements of a domain works with the others.

Top-level domain(TLD) is the part of the URL after the dot. Therefore dot com/ dot co dot uk/ dot org are TLDs or top-level domains. .com, for example, is a TLD.

Second Level Domain is the part of the URL before the dot. The name you choose for your site. mywebsitename.com

Third Level Domain, often known as the sub-domain, to differentiate it from the acronym TLD reserved for the top-level domain. The sub-domain is separated from the second-level domain by a dot. If, for example, you want to guide users to a shopping experience, the subdomain could be shop.yourwebsitename.com, where shop is the third-level domain.

What is DNS resolution?

Each segment of a domain name is queried through a process called DNS resolution. Sites need a hosting service. Hosting is parking your URL with a service provider that connects this URL through its servers to the DNS network. When you send a query in your browser to search for a domain name, the client or your device/ computer sends a message to a recursive resolver in the web network.

If it is the first search, the search is recursive. If it is a second search of the same URL, the search is saved in the cache memory. The search is first performed at the TLD. Once this is found, the search is then rerouted to the Second Level Domain. Then the Third Level Domain is retrieved, and the string of numbers is stored and routed back from the servers to your computer/ device (client).

Many sites have a server that takes care of this configuration before it reaches your computer directly via your local router (wifi/LAN/ADSL/ cable). The pre-prepared routing happens between two DNS servers before it reaches your computer or device (the client).

Different servers behave differently in terms of speed and security; choosing the right host/ name server is therefore important.

What is DNS propagation?

Changes made to a web or mobile application are deployed by a tech team to the data-infrastructure that the application uses. This infrastructure can be a mix of service providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Services, or managed services provided by Netifly, WordPress, Vercel.

The infrastructure is connected to the web hosting service, and all the files used in the web application have to be propagated via the DNS system first before these changes can be seen by the end user. The propagation process takes between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the servers and the hosting services you choose.