Domain name

What it means

A domain name is a name in the hierarchical Domain Name System (DNS), such as example.com. It can be used to find information needed to reach a website or other service. Registering a name gives the registrant rights to that registration under a contract; it does not buy the hosting machine or the website's files. Registrant responsibilities

The name itself is not a complete URL. https://www.example.com/help is a URL: it includes a scheme, a hostname and a path. example.com is a domain name, and www.example.com is a subdomain used as a hostname in the example. DNS and web requests

Try it

Example — separate a name from an address. The following is a static breakdown; no DNS query is performed.

https://www.example.com/help
└scheme┘└──hostname──┘└path┘
           www . example . com
           label  domain  TLD

The dots separate labels in a DNS name. Here the registrable name is example.com; com is the top-level domain (TLD) and www is another label below that name. Not every public suffix uses one label, so identifying what can be registered is more nuanced than always taking the last two labels. Domain registration roles

What registration controls

A registrant usually manages renewal, contact information and the delegation to authoritative DNS through a registrar. The registrar and registry operate different layers of registration. DNS records live in the relevant zone run by a DNS operator, which may be the registrar, host or another provider. Registration process

Different organizations can provide each part. Moving hosting can leave the registration untouched; moving a registrar does not, by itself, move a running site. Editing a DNS record can change where browsers connect without transferring ownership of the domain. Routing with DNS

Why DNS is not the website

DNS returns records such as addresses or aliases. It does not contain your complete HTML, images or site application. The browser contacts a web endpoint after obtaining routing information. Website contents and HTTPS configuration must still be present at the destination.

A domain can also identify mail services and other resources. Changing the website's address record is a different operation from changing mail exchange records. A DNS configuration is not automatically safe to replace wholesale when changing hosts.

In practice

Keep registrar credentials, renewal notices and recovery contacts under your control. Record which DNS provider is authoritative before you edit anything. For a new site, confirm whether you need both example.com and www.example.com; they can be configured separately. For any move, preserve email records and validate the actual content and TLS certificate at the destination. DNS traffic routing

Common misunderstanding: a domain that resolves successfully is not proof that the server will display the intended site. Resolution, HTTPS and application routing are separate steps.