Domain names are pretty simple things on the surface but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Before we became webmasters ourselves, we probably each visited thousands of domain names as we surfed little realizing what was going on.

The domain name

Sooner or later everyone in this business will want to buy at least one domain name. Most webmasters have a collection of domain names they use. A domain name is the bit that comes after the www. in a web address. Yahoo.com and Hotmail.com are two examples of domain names. A domain name can be between 2 and 255 characters in length, and can consist of the letters a-z, and the numbers 0-9. The only punctuation a domain name can contain is a hyphen. The hyphen can be used to separate out words. eg my-website.com, although a domain name may not start or end with a hyphen. Only one person can own any one domain name at a given time, so if I own sex.com (I wish!) then you can’t buy that name – it’s taken.

IP addresses

Domain names themselves are actually a human-friendly version of the ‘real’ web address. They’re there to make the web more user-friendly. Computers just love numbers, and behind every domain name is what’s called an IP address. This is a 4 part number such as 67.37.15.179.  You don’t need a domain name, but the web would be a pretty complicated place if you had to say to everyone, “hey, check out my new website: 66.218.71.198!” It’s much easier to say “Have a look at yahoo.com” – most of us can remember a word or two like that, but a long number? So domain names are really a handy front for some pretty cumbersome numbers.

The registrar

Registrars are domain name shops. Registrars are where you go to buy domain names. And like any kind of shopping, prices will vary from shop to shop, some shops will give you better service than others, and you’ll have to do a lot of browsing once you’re in the shop. The main difference between buying a domain, and buying something from a shop out there on the street, is that in a domain name registrar’s store, the domains are not on display for you to browse. You have to think up a name yourself, check that no-one has bought it already, and then buy that name. Each registrar has been approved by the governing body, Icann – http://www.icann.org/

The WHOIS

Every domain name that is currently owned by someone out there has been written into a vast record of information called the WHOIS database. When you register a domain name, you are asked for information like your own name, address, and email contact details. This information is added to the WHOIS and stored. When you go to the registrar to buy a domain name, and check to see if it’s available, what’s really happening is that the registrar is looking through all of the records in the WHOIS database to see if your name really is available.

Always register your own domain names – never leave it to your host or ANYONE else.

Domain Name Servers

When a surfer out there comes to visit your website a lot of things happen behind the scenes. First of all the browser looks at your domain name. It must then learn the IP address of the domain name (the numbers behind it) which is the part the computer needs to continue. It has to get this from what’s called a Domain Name Server (DNS for short). The DNS are the hidden workers of the net. They’re computers which are spread all over the world. The browser needs to talk with a DNS to get an important piece of information: the domain name’s IP address. Once it has that it can hook up with your web host and it’s a step closer to showing the user the pages.

With the IP address in hand, the browser can now talk to your host and deliver pages from your webspace to your viewer.

Making it work

Let’s think about what YOUR part in all of this rather complicated process is.

1) To decide on a domain name.

2) To check to see if it’s available.

3) To find a registrar.

4) Buy the name.

5) ‘Point’ the domain name at your host.

This is an important one. On every domain name you buy, there’s a tricky part called ‘adding the DNS info’. You must email your host prior to registering a domain name and ask them ‘what DNS info do I use to register a domain name?’ They’ll send you back something like this:

NS2.BLUEGRAVITY.COM
64.57.64.3

NS1.BLUEGRAVITY.COM
64.57.64.2

Which, to any sane person, looks pretty weird. Write this information down. There will be 4 spaces when you buy your domain name to add this information in there. This is a vital component in making your domain name work. This information will connect your domain name with your webhost.

6) Tell your host to set things up at their end.

Of course it’s no good pointing a domain name at your web host if they don’t configure things to work properly at their end. So once you’ve registered a domain name, send an email to your host tell them what the name is.

Propagation

The final part to making this work is just patience. It can take 24 hours or MORE from the time you register your domain name before it’s accessible. In this time all of the domain name servers around the world are being updated with the information on your domain name. During this time, your name may become accessible in different parts of the world at different times. So it’s not uncommon for someone in the USA to be able to see your domain name working but someone in the UK not to. Sit and wait. The propagation is a one-off process and after that your name should work for as long as you pay it’s renewal fee.

Related domain name articles:

An Introduction to Domain Names

Who Owns Your Domain Name?

How Domain Name Servers Work

What is the Domain Name System?

What is ICANN and What Does it Do?

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