Top Level Domains (TLD). In this article, we will discuss the types of Top Level Domains that we often see in cyberspace as well as the explanation and use of Top Level Domains, the hierarchy of domain names, and the extensions of the most commonly used Top Level Domains.
What is a Top Level Domain (TLD)?
Top Level Domain (TLD) is the last segment of the domain name that is owned by a website. TLD is better known as the ending of a domain that follows the last ‘dot’ in the URL of a website. For example, this website uses a domain with a .com extension ( sidpill.com )
What are the types of TLDs?
There are three types of Top Level Domains, starting General TLD, Creative TLD, and Restricted TLD. The following is a more detailed explanation of the types and examples of the most commonly used Top Level Domains in various existing URLs.
1. General Top Level Domains
Following are the types of generic Top Level Domains:
.com stands for commercial. These domains are usually used for various purposes and are most commonly encountered as TLDs on various websites. However, in general, this domain is mostly used for online business websites. https://www.google.com and Yahoo.com are examples of websites that use this domain.
- .edu stands for education which means education. This domain is commonly used for educational institutions. Cambride.edu is an example of a website that uses this domain.
- .sch stands for school which means school. This domain is usually used for educational institutions, especially schools. schoolbag.sch.id is an example of a school website that uses this domain.
- .ac stands for academic. Domains that end in .ac are usually used for colleges or universities. One example of a university that uses this domain is unimed.ac.id and usu.ac.id
- .net stands for network. This domain is generally used for various purposes, ranging from online companies to personal projects.
- .org stands for organization. This domain is generally used for non-profit organizations or Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).
- .co stands for Corporation. This domain is usually used by a company. Tempo.co is one example of a website with this domain
- .biz. Just like .co, this domain is also generally used for a company’s website
Besides that. there are also special domains based on certain countries, which are then called Country Code Top Level Domains, such as co.id (for Indonesia), .co.uk (for Great Britain), .au (Australia), .de (Denmark), .fr (France) and so on.
2. Creative Top Level Domains
The following types of Creative Top Level Domains:
- .tv stands for television. This domain is used for online television stations and other projects related to television
- .me This domain is used for projects related to personal branding
- .expert. Usually used to convey our authority over something more specific
- .teacher. This domain has the same functionality as .expert
- .io. This domain is used for technology-related companies
- .name (used for specific websites that cater to each individual)
3. Restricted Top Level Domains
Following are the types of Restricted Top Level Domains:
.post. This domain is only used by post office websites
.gov. It stands for government. The domain with is used for government sectors. In Indonesia, this domain is better known as .go.id. An example of a government website that uses this domain is kemendikbud.go.id which is the website of the ministry of education and culture.
.mil stands for the military. This domain is only used for websites related to the military. An example of a website that uses this domain is tni.mil.id which is the website of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.
.museum. As the name suggests, this domain is used by museums and related industries.
.aero. This domain is used in the aerospace industry.
Conclusion
Top Level Domains help you identify certain elements of a website, such as the type of business, country of origin, and ownership status.