TLD Types & Classification
How top-level domains are categorized: gTLDs, ccTLDs, sTLDs, and the new gTLD program.
TLD (Top-Level Domain)
The last segment of a domain name (e.g., .com, .org, .uk).
gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain)
Top-level domain with 3+ characters not tied to a specific country.
ccTLD (Country-Code Top-Level Domain)
Two-letter TLD assigned to a specific country or territory.
New gTLD
Generic top-level domains introduced through ICANN's 2012+ New gTLD Program.
Legacy TLD
Original gTLDs (.com, .net, .org) that predate the New gTLD Program.
sTLD (Sponsored Top-Level Domain)
Specialized TLD with eligibility requirements, managed by a sponsoring organization.
Brand TLD (.brand)
New gTLD using a company's brand name, operated exclusively by that company.
Geographic TLD (GeoTLD)
New gTLD representing a geographic region (city, state, or territory).
IDN TLD (Internationalized Domain Name TLD)
TLD written in non-Latin scripts (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, etc.).
SLD (Second-Level Domain)
The part of a domain name directly left of the TLD (e.g., 'example' in example.com).
FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
Complete domain name with all labels from host to TLD (e.g., www.example.com.).
Restricted TLD
TLD that limits registration to eligible organizations or individuals.
Infrastructure TLD (.arpa)
Special-purpose TLD (.arpa) reserved exclusively for DNS infrastructure and protocol use.
Reserved Test TLDs
IANA-reserved TLDs (.test, .example, .invalid, .localhost) guaranteed never to resolve in the public DNS.
TLD Operator (Registry Operator)
Entity authorized by ICANN to administer all domain registrations within a specific TLD.
Delegated TLD
TLD formally added to the DNS root zone by IANA and resolvable on the public internet.
ASCII TLD
TLD composed entirely of ASCII characters, natively compatible with all DNS software without encoding.
Open TLD
TLD with unrestricted registration policies open to any person or entity worldwide.
Community TLD
TLD designed to serve a specific community of interest with eligibility restrictions and community-aligned policies.
Generic-Restricted TLD
Legacy gTLDs (.biz, .name, .pro) intended for specific uses but with limited enforcement of registration restrictions.
TLD String
The proposed character sequence for a new TLD, evaluated by ICANN for similarity, geography, and conflicts.
Dot-Brand TLD (.brand)
Company-operated new gTLD using a brand name as the extension, unavailable for public registration.