Top-Level Domain (TLD)

Top-Level Domain (TLD) is the highest level within the hierarchical domain name system (DNS) structure, such as the .com portion of example.com. DigitalOcean supports most publicly recognized TLDs when adding a domain to your account.

FQDN has four components where one of the components is TLD.

A TLD constitutes the right-most portion of a domain name and appears after the last dot in a web address. TLDs are categorized and classified based on purpose, organization, type, or geographical location. For example, the .gov TLD is reserved for official United States websites. Different organizations, such as domain name registries, manage and administer TLDs.

Structure and Naming

The structure and naming is consistent with one or more labels separated by dots. The label to the right of the last dot, like the .com in example.com, constitutes the TLD. TLD typically consists of letters and may have two or more characters. TLD can be country-specific, like .uk for United Kingdom or .ca for Canada.

Types of TLDs

There are several types of TLDs such as:

• Generic TLDs (gTLDs) represent general-purpose TLDs that are not restricted to a specific country or region. It is typically used for businesses, organizations, and individuals purposes.
  • Additional gTLDs were introduced to expand the options for domain name registration. These are options specialized and industry-specific domain names.
• Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) represent TLDs assigned to specific countries or territories. It represents respective country codes such as .us for United States or .de for Germany. ccTLDs primarily associate with websites and services specific to a particular country or region.
• Sponsored TLDs operate as TLDs by private organizations or industry groups with specific focus or purpose. It is generally associated with specific industries, communities, or interest groups such as .gov for government or .edu for education.

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