The domain is the name of a website. The domain will later lead us to the hosting where our website is located. Need to know the difference between Domain, Hosting, Website, and SSL?
Let’s read first What is Domain. But you know, several levels build the formation of a domain, you know! The part that we know has three levels. The back, the middle, and the front. The domain level is divided into Top Level Domain, Second Level Domain, and Third Level Domain.
A TLD (Top Level Domain) is the end of a domain. Examples are .co.id on niagahoster.co.id or .com on google.com. Although it looks simple, the TLD also plays a vital role in showing your website’s identity.
Want to know more about TLDs? In this article, we will discuss its meaning, uses, and types in detail. Let’s see to the end!
Top Level Domain
As described above, a TLD is an extension of a domain. You probably often see it in the form of .com, .net, or .co.id.
But wait, before proceeding, could you let me know if you’re familiar with the domain? If not, the domain is the address of a website.
The function domain is more or less the same as the contact name on the mobile phone. You don’t need to remember an IP Address – a series of complex numbers – to access a website. Just type in the domain name, and you’ll be on the website.
Since 2014, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has released more than 2000 TLDs, and the number will undoubtedly continue to grow as the website functions become increasingly varied.
Suppose you want to see a complete list of TLDs circulating out there. In that case, you can visit the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) website, which is one of the branches of ICANN responsible for linking TLDs with IP addresses.
What is the Use of a TLD?
The domain serves as the identity of the website. To strengthen that identity, you need to choose the correct TLD.
TLDs can indicate the theme or content of a website. An example is .gov which shows that the website belongs to the government. Or .edu, which suggests that the website belongs to educational institutions ( education ).
Another function of the TLD is to indicate the origin of the website. For example, a website with a .id extension means that the website is in Indonesian. The same goes for websites with the .jp extension in Japanese.
Oh yes, you can also use a domain name already in use. The extension notes should be different. Examples are astra.com and astra.co.id. Although the name is the same, the website’s content is other.
However, please don’t use existing domain names even if the extensions are different because this will make your domain name less authentic.
Of the many options, the most popular TLD is .com – more than 40% of domains registered online use it. So, if you want to choose the easiest TLD to remember, select .com!
There are many more TLDs out there. And each has a different function.
Types of TLDs
Although enormous, TLDs can be divided into gTLD, ccTLD, and sTLD.
There is still another type of TLD, namely Infrastructure Top Level Domain (.arpa). But since it consists of only one extension, we will only discuss the commonly used ones.
Let’s see one by one!
1. Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)
As the name suggests, this type of TLD is prevalent and can be used by anyone. Here are some examples of popular gTLDs:
- . com – for commercial websites. Although any website can currently use it.
- .org – for organizations.
- .net – for the network.
- .biz – for business.
- .info – for information-related sites.
There are also types of gTLDs that are more flexible. The form can be a brand or product:
- .android
- .mitsubishi
- .motorcycle
- .basketball
In addition, there are several other popular gTLDs. An example is .xyz which is known to be affordable. Then there are .store and .tech, often used by business websites.
2. Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)
ccTLD is a type of TLD that represents a specific country. Here are some of them:
| ccTLD | Country |
| .cn | China |
| .de | Germany |
| .eu | European Union |
| .es | Spain |
| .fr | France |
| .in | India |
| .id | Indonesia |
| .jp | Japan |
| .us | United States |
| .uk | England |
As you can see, each ccTLD consists of only two letters. This is because the two letters are made based on the ISO Code, which is a code that represents a region.
This type is suitable if you are targeting your website to a specific area. For example, if your target audience is only from Indonesia, you can use .id domains.
3. Sponsored Top Level Domain (TLD)
sTLD is a type of TLD used for the websites of private organizations or agencies. Here is an example:
| sTLD | Organization |
| .aero | Aviation Industry |
| .edu | Educational Institute |
| . gov | e government |
| .jobs | Human Resource Manager |
| .museum | Museum |
| .post | Shipping service |
| .travel | Travel agent |
Because a sTLD represents a community or organization, you must meet special requirements to use it.
For example, the .aero domain should be used by websites that come from the airline industry. Otherwise, the TLD will not be usable.
Second Level Domain
Second Level Domain this is the domain name you registered. For example, www.yourwebsite.com. Well, this matob.web.id is included in the Second Level Domain.
Third Level Domain
The third level domain is the word to the left of the Second Level Domain—for example, www.blog.yourwebsite.com. The word blog is what is a Third Level Domain. Sometimes, people call this Third Level Domain a subdomain.