TLDFYI

The Dawn of DNS

1983–1989

The Domain Name System was born out of the need to replace the unwieldy HOSTS.TXT file that mapped hostnames to IP addresses on the ARPANET. Paul Mockapetris designed DNS in 1983, introducing a hierarchical, distributed naming system that could scale with the growing internet. The first top-level domains — .com, .net, .org, .gov, .mil, and .edu — were established in this era, laying the foundation for the modern web.

Significance

DNS replaced a centralized text file with a distributed, scalable naming infrastructure, making global internet growth possible. The original six TLDs established the categories that still dominate internet traffic today.

Key Events

  • Июл 1, 1983 Technology Change

    ARPANET Adopts DNS, Retires HOSTS.TXT

    On July 1, 1983, the ARPANET officially transitioned from the single centralized HOSTS.TXT file maintained at SRI International to the newly specified Domain Name System. Before DNS, every host on …

  • Ноя 1, 1983 Technology Change

    DNS Invented by Paul Mockapetris

    Paul Mockapetris published RFC 882 and RFC 883 in November 1983, formally specifying the Domain Name System. DNS replaced the single HOSTS.TXT file maintained at Stanford Research Institute — which …

  • Мар 1, 1984 Policy Change

    Country-Code TLDs Introduced via RFC 1591

    Jon Postel's RFC 1591 formalized the delegation of two-letter country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) based on the ISO 3166-1 country code standard, assigning each sovereign territory its own TLD — .uk …

    .de .uk .au .fr .jp
  • Янв 1, 1985 TLD Launch

    .gov and .mil Delegated to US Government

    The .gov and .mil top-level domains were delegated exclusively to agencies of the United States federal government and military respectively in early 1985. .gov is operated by the Cybersecurity and …

    .edu .gov .mil
  • Янв 15, 1985 TLD Launch

    Original Six TLDs Established

    RFC 920, authored by Jon Postel and Joyce Reynolds, formally established the original top-level domain categories: .com (commercial), .net (network infrastructure), .org (non-commercial organizations), .gov (US government), .mil (US military), …

    .com .net .org .edu .gov .mil
  • Мар 15, 1985 Milestone

    First .com Domain Registered: symbolics.com

    Symbolics, Inc., a Massachusetts computer manufacturer that produced Lisp machines, registered symbolics.com on March 15, 1985, making it the first .com domain name ever registered. The domain predated the commercial …

    .com
  • Янв 1, 1988 Milestone

    IANA Formally Established

    The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) was formally recognized as the body responsible for coordinating unique internet identifiers — including IP addresses, protocol parameters, and the DNS root zone. Operating …

  • Ноя 1, 1991 Policy Change

    Network Solutions Inc. Awarded .com Registry Contract

    The US National Science Foundation awarded Network Solutions Inc. (NSI) a cooperative agreement to manage the registration of .com, .net, and .org domains in November 1991, replacing the earlier SRI …

    .com .net .org
  • Мар 1, 1999 Technology Change

    DNSSEC Specification Published in RFC 2535

    RFC 2535, published in March 1999, specified DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), a set of cryptographic signatures that allow DNS resolvers to verify the authenticity of DNS responses and detect tampering. …

Key TLDs

.com

Commercial

 .net

Network

 .org

Organization

 .edu

Educational establishments

 .gov

US government

 .mil

US military