What is a domain name? A plain-English guide

Kofi Agyem, Founder and CEO, CloudzyroPublished November 1, 2026 · 6 min read

On this page

1. The short answer
2. The parts of a domain name
3. Domain, URL, website and hosting: what's the difference?
4. Who runs domain names
5. Kinds of domain endings
6. How registering a domain works
7. What a domain costs
8. Renewing, expiring and transferring
9. How to look up a domain
10. Sources and further reading

A domain name is your address on the internet. Its parts, how it differs from a URL and hosting, who runs domains, what one costs and how to own one.

1. The short answer

A domain name is the address people type to reach your website, like `example.com`. It's a human-friendly name that points, through DNS, to the server where your site lives. You register it with a registrar for a year or more at a time, and as long as you renew it, it's yours to use for your website and email.

Computers find each other by numeric IP addresses. Domain names exist so people don't have to remember those numbers, and so you can move your site to a new server without changing the address everyone knows.

2. The parts of a domain name

Domain names are read from right to left, from the most general part to the most specific. Take shop.mybakery.co.uk:

Top-level domain (TLD): the ending, here .uk. Others include .com, .org, .io and .app.
Second-level part: .co here, a common pattern for country endings. For .com domains, this is the name you choose, like mybakery in mybakery.com.
The name you registered: mybakery.co.uk. This is what you buy and renew.
Subdomain: shop. You create these yourself, for free, as many as you like. See What is a subdomain?.

A few technical rules: each part between dots can be up to 63 characters, the whole name up to 253, and only letters, numbers and hyphens are allowed (a hyphen can't start or end a part). Capitals don't matter: MyBakery.com and mybakery.com are the same domain. Names with accented letters or other scripts are stored in a special encoding called Punycode.

3. Domain, URL, website and hosting: what's the difference?

Domain: the name, example.com.
URL: the full address of one page, https://www.example.com/menu?day=monday. It includes the protocol (https), the host name (www.example.com), the path and sometimes a query.
Website: the pages, images and code people see.
Hosting: the computer that stores the website and sends it to visitors. See How to host a website.
DNS: the directory that connects the domain to the hosting. See What is DNS?.

A useful picture: the domain is your street address, the hosting is the building, and DNS is the map that tells visitors which building is at that address. You can move buildings and keep the address.

4. Who runs domain names

ICANN coordinates the system worldwide and decides which endings exist.
Registries run each ending. Verisign runs .com and .net; Nominet runs .uk. They keep the master list of who has registered what.
Registrars are the companies you buy from. They register the name with the registry on your behalf and handle renewals and transfers.
You, the registrant, hold the right to use the name while it's registered.

5. Kinds of domain endings

Generic (gTLDs): .com, .net, .org, plus hundreds of newer ones like .app, .shop and .dev. Anyone can register most of them.
Country code (ccTLDs): two letters for a country, like .uk, .de or .ca. Some have rules about who may register. A few, like .io, are popular well beyond their country.
Restricted ones: .gov, .edu and similar are only for eligible organizations.

Some endings require HTTPS for every site: .app and .dev are on browsers' HSTS preload list, so a site on them never loads without a valid certificate. That's a good thing, as long as your host handles certificates for you.

Not sure which to pick? See How to choose a domain name.

6. How registering a domain works

Search for the name at a registrar. If it's taken, try another ending or a variation.
Choose how long: usually 1 to 10 years.
Enter the owner's details. The registry needs a name, address, email and phone. Use an email you check: transfer codes and registry checks go there.
Pay. The registration usually goes through within minutes.
Point it somewhere. Set its DNS records or nameservers so it shows your website and receives your email.

With Cloudzyro Domains, step 5 is a single choice: when you buy, pick A Cloudzyro site, My Web Hosting or Decide later, and we set up the DNS for you.

7. What a domain costs

Prices depend on the ending and the registrar. Look at the renewal price, not only the first year: some registrars discount the first year and charge much more after. Premium names, ones the registry or a previous owner has priced higher, can cost far more.

Cloudzyro's prices are the same every year, plus tax:

.com: $36.99 a year
.co.uk and .uk: $21.99 a year
.net: $41.99 a year
.org: $42.99 a year
.io: $145.99 a year

Optional extras: WHOIS privacy, which hides your name, address, phone and email from public lookups, is $7.99 a year plus tax (not available for .uk). A yearly Web Hosting plan includes a new .com, .co.uk, .uk, .net or .org free for the first year.

8. Renewing, expiring and transferring

Renewing: turn on auto-renew and keep the card on file current. At Cloudzyro, renewals are charged 7 days before the domain expires.

Expiring: on the expiry date, the website and email using the domain stop working. Most registrars allow a short grace period to renew, and many endings then have a redemption period when it can still be restored, usually for an extra fee. After that it's released, and anyone can register it. Don't rely on these windows: they vary by ending and registrar.

Transferring: you can move a domain to another registrar. Unlock it, get the transfer code (also called the auth or EPP code) and start the transfer at the new registrar. For .com and most generic endings, a domain can't move within 60 days of being registered or transferred. .uk domains use an IPS tag instead of a code. A transfer usually adds a year to the registration, and the domain keeps working throughout.

You don't have to transfer a domain to use it with a host. You can keep it where it is and point it at your site.

9. How to look up a domain

To see who registered a domain, when it expires and which nameservers it uses, use ICANN's lookup at lookup.icann.org, or from a terminal:

# Registration details (registrar, dates, status)
whois example.com

# Which nameservers hold its DNS records
dig +short NS example.com

Many owners' personal details are hidden by privacy services or by data protection rules, so you may only see the registrar.

10. Sources and further reading

Questions

Do I own my domain name?

Not outright. You register it for a period, usually 1 to 10 years, and keep it as long as you renew. While you do, nobody else can use it.

Is a domain name the same as a website?

No. The domain is the address. The website is the files and code, which live on hosting. You connect the two with DNS records.

Can I buy a domain forever?

No. The longest registration for common endings like .com is 10 years at a time, but you can keep renewing for as long as you like.

What's the difference between a domain and a URL?

The domain is just the name, like example.com. A URL is the full address of one page, including the protocol and path, like https://www.example.com/menu.

Can I move my domain to another company?

Yes. Unlock it, get the transfer code from your current registrar and start the transfer at the new one. Most endings don't allow a transfer within 60 days of registering or a previous transfer.

What happens if I forget to renew?

The domain stops working on its expiry date, along with any website and email using it. Most registrars give you a short window to renew, sometimes at a higher price, before it's released for anyone to register.

Do I need hosting to have a domain?

No. You can register a domain and use it later, or only for email. You need hosting when you want a website at that address.