Where to get it, how much they cost, what are the cool ones, and how the question is with the personal data.

This text contains answers to common questions about domain names. This is a term from the realm of the Internet, websites and e-commerce. If you want to be a web developer or have your own website, this is for you.

What is a domain

A domain name is a verbal designation of the address of your site on the Internet. We can say that this is the name of your site from the point of view of the Internet.

Here's the whole picture:

• You have a website, it is located on some server. A site is some kind of file: scripts, texts, pictures, a database. The server is a computer with a special program. On this computer, your site holds on, and the server program distributes your site to people upon request.
• The computer that runs your site has an IP address. This is the address that is commonly used on the Internet to identify computers.
• So that people did not need to remember IP addresses, they came up with human names — for example, habinski.dev. It's easier to remember that way. Such names are domain names.
• Domain names allow multiple sites to be hosted on one physical computer.

Who can get a domain and how

Any person and company can register a domain name. To do this, you need to contact the organization that registers domain names and pay her some money.

Next, you need to say what computer address should be behind your domain name — that is, register the IP address of the server on which your site will live. Or do not register, then the domain name will be yours, but the site will not open using it.

What is a “domain zone”

A domain name consists of at least two parts: a name and a zone. For example, in habinski.dev address, the “habinski” part is the name, and the .dev part is the domain zone.

Historically, a zone represents the geographic or linguistic affiliation of a site. This was the case in the early 2000s. But now you can register a domain name in the zone of any country, just pay money. For example, you can register a domain in the .to zone, which is Tonga, a small island country in Polynesia.

There are also domain zones that have no geographic reference at all — for example, .club, .photo, .city, etc. But these are all inventions of the last 10-15 years.

When the Internet was just becoming widespread, everything was simple with zones:

• .gb, .ua, pl, us etc.- for countries;
• .org — for non-profit organizations;
• .com — for business;
• .net — all sorts of network-wide projects.

Then there were more and more domain zones: Cyrillic .укр domains and thematic domains like .site appeared. Let's talk about the last one.

What is a thematic domain zone and why do we need this

A thematic domain doesn't tie to a country, but some topics: restaurant business, advertising, texts, dentistry, rent, and so on.

In theory, it assumes that such a domain will immediately show visitors what this site is about. In practice, such domain names are select because they sound cool, or the site looks more unusual and, as it were, more solid with them.

Now let's look at 10 interesting domain zones that can be used for any project.

.blog

Annual cost: €29, $30 or 120zł.

An option for those who write their own blog or launch a corporate blog for a company. It will also work well for those who want to pump their personal brand and collect all their records in one place to attract new customers in this way.

.business

Annual cost: €29, $30 or 120zł.

Also, an excellent domain zone for businesses of any level. The only problem with this zone is that not everyone will understand by ear how to write a website address with such an ending. But visually, of course, it looks beautiful.

.expert

Annual cost: €48, $50 or 200zł.

A universal domain zone for any company or lone specialist who wants to prove themselves as an expert in their industry. The only disadvantage of this zone is the high cost of registration and renewal.

.digital

Annual cost: €38, $40 or 160zł.

Domain zone for any digital projects and companies that work over the Internet. Even if the only digital in the company is the website and the computer of the director, then with such a domain zone the company immediately looks fresh and innovative.

.market

Annual cost: €38, $40 or 160zł.

Suitable for everyone who sells something, and not necessarily via the Internet. Another address with such a domain zone can be taken by marketers, but it is easier for them than to arrange a.marketing for themselves.

.media

Annual cost: €29, $30 or 120zł.

A zone that has become popular lately, because every second company makes a brand media for itself, or, more simply, a corporate blog. Also, the domain is suitable for the media and anyone who wants to look like a media.

.pro

Annual cost: €19, $20 or 80zł.

Previously, to register in the .pro zone, you had to provide documents that confirm your qualifications: a scan of a diploma, certificate, or licence. Now, this has been cancelled, and now such an address can be issued to anyone who wants to look like a pro.

.site

Annual cost: €19, $20 or 80zł.

A simple domain zone for those who are tired of .com and .net. Suitable for any site, project, and company. It is inexpensive, stands out from the rest and does not depend on the country.

.dev

Annual cost: €12, $12 or 50zł.

Domain by Google is just for developers. “.dev is a home for all the interesting things that you build. .dev lets your clients know what you do before they even open your site.” © Google

Why is it better to register a domain for yourself

Imagine a situation: someone opened their own business. The business turned out to be successful, and the company decided to make a website for itself to increase the number of customers.

The entrepreneur went to a web studio for a website, they made a cool design for him and picked up a beautiful domain name. And a year later, when the site became popular, the entrepreneur received a call from the studio and was told that the renewal for a year costs thousands of euros, otherwise the domain will be sold to competitors. As it turned out, the studio registered the domain name for itself — according to the documents, it was the studio, and not the entrepreneur, who owned the site.

To prevent this from happening, it is best to register a domain for yourself — this way you will have complete control over everything that happens to it.

What data need to register a domain

It all depends on the domain zone where you want to register a domain. Or rather, from the laws of the country that owns the domain zone.

For example, if you want something in the .com or .net zone, then you will not be required to submit any documents during registration — you can specify at least Tony Stark as the owner. But in case of any complaints about the site, the registrar may ask you for documents, and if you refuse to provide them, it will cancel the ownership record.

So, firstly you have to check what you need to register a domain.

Is it possible to register a domain using fictitious data?

You can, but then, in which case it will be difficult for you to prove that this is your domain. It's like registering a car when buying for a fictional person: in any difficult situation, you find yourself without a car and with a bunch of problems.

It turns out that my data will be seen by everyone on the Internet?

Only if you yourself want it. There is a WHOIS service that shows if a domain is free, and if not, who owns it. But almost all registrars have the option “Don't show my data”. She hides your real data in the results and says that the domain registers simply to an individual.

For an additional fee, of course.