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question What do we mean by top level domain? Is there any low level domain?

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Denismth

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I was about to create a video on creating a website in my local language. And in the video I mention about TLDs. This has always been my question (10+yrs) because domain registers say that they have several TLDs and show countless domain extensions.

Just out of the blue my understanding was TLDs= Top level domains are the .com, .net, ,org, .edu. and .gov

And all the others might categorize as low level domains. What is the real explanation and for that matter is there any low level domain? Thank you.
 
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Yes; ".sucks"

Still my lowest of the bunch out of all them.

.Horse would be number 2; but horse riding more usefull lmaoo
 
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So you are telling me there is a thing called low level domain such as .sucks and .horse LOL haven't heard about them yet. But then are the top levels only those I mentioned above? Thx.
 
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So you are telling me there is a thing called low level domain such as .sucks and .horse LOL haven't heard about them yet. But then are the top levels only those I mentioned above? Thx.

Well i consider them “low level” lowest! :)

They are called nGTLDs;
Stands for “Generic Top-Level Domain”
“Generic” not “low” LOL. I say “lowest” since; cash grab apply; think most go out of business

The most well known nGTLD perhaps; .xyz

Technically, all ext “Top-level domains” but

“TLDs”; often refers to ComNetOrg original.
 
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Honestly, my favorite guy on this subject kno technicalities; @jmcc of hosterstats; whom ask if got anything wrong :)

Samer
 
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Something is top but people still called bottom:
ManOn.top
WomanOn.top
 
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Ok Thank you guys for the prompt replies.
 
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E V E R Y domain extension (.top / ... all other extensions ... / .com / .xyz) is a 1st = top level domain (TLD) and E V E R Y registered domain (a (set of) charatcer(s) that can be (a) digit(s) and / or (a) letter(s) and, in combination (a) hyphen(s) between (except the 3rd and 4th position (if not an internationalized domain name IDN))) left beside the dot of the 1st = top level domain (TLD) is a 2nd = sub level domain (SLD (SLD can also stand for sub level domain)).

In other words, whenever you register a domain, you are registering a
2nd = sub level domain under the (already "registered" / created (by the registry) = existing) 1st = top level domain (TLD) that you were choosing (no matter which one) for registering your 2nd = sub level domain.

The "www" is the most used (standard, but still optional) 3rd level (sub) domain, if existent (created).

All sub (level) domains + the top level domain (TLD) together is the domain name.
 
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If the domain extension is a "double extension" like .co.uk for example, then every registered domain under this "double extension" is a 3rd = sub level domain (SLD) because the co from .co.uk is already the 2nd = sub level domain (SLD) that got registered (by the regisry) under the(ir) 1st = top level domain (TLD) .uk.

In this case, the "www" (if existent (created)) would be the 4th level (sub) domain.

And so on, every added sub level domain is a lower sub level domain (although it's number (2nd, 3rd, 4th, ...) goes up).

At the end, we register domains to create domain names and if you have enough money, you can register (apply for) a 1st = top level domain (TLD) like the registries did and let others register their ... / 3rd / 2nd = sub level domain/s (SLD/S) under your 1st = top level domain (TLD).
 
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;)

So as long as a registry does not come up with the idea of creating a new TLD with the name
.subdomain it won't get more complicated (which is actually not the case anyway).
 
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The "top" refers to the first level.

Top level: COM
Second level (where domain names are registered): example
gives example.COM

Third level example where domain names are registered at the third level:
Top level: UK
Second level: CO
gives example.CO.UK

There are some ccTLDs (country code TLDs) such as .US that have even more complex structures that allow registration at a fourth and fifth level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.us

The ccTLDs generally follow the ISO3166 two letter standard for country/territory names.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_3166_country_codes

The second levels/sub-domains such as .co/.com, .net, .org were generally a pre-search engine and pre-Web ideas to categorise registrations by use (commercial, network, non-profit organisations, government, military, academic). As new ccTLDs were added, they often used the com/net/org/edu/mil/gov as second level or followed the UK (co/net/org/ac/gov) Spanish (com/net/org/gob/mil). Some ccTLDs do not allow registrations at the second level and the .UK only introduced registrations at the second level (example.uk) a few years ago as did the Spanish .ES ccTLD.

This is the list of legacy gTLDs, ccTLDs and new gTLDs:
https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db

The "new gTLDs" generally refers to the 2012 round of gTLDs that were added. That was about 1,200 extra gTLDs. Some of them are struggling to get a few hundred new registrations a month. There were also .BRAND gTLDs where companies could have their own private gTLD (.google for example). Most of the new gTLDs that have been terminated (ICANN-speak for deleted) have been .BRANDS. Unfortunately, the 2012 round was a solution for a problem that had been solved by 2009 and the demand for most of the new gTLDs had disappeared by the time the first of them launched in 2013. (Covered in the free pages of the Domnomics book).

Regards...jmcc
 
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A bottom level domain (as opposed to top level domain) would be whatever you can fit within 255 characters total, so theoretically the bottom-est level would be 127th (125 single-character subdomains + dots, single-character domain name + dot + two-character ccTLD = 254 or three-chracter gTLD = 255), like a.a.a.(...).a.a.x.us/com
 
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A bottom level domain (as opposed to top level domain) would be whatever you can fit within 255 characters total, so theoretically the bottom-est level would be 127th (125 single-character subdomains + dots, single-character domain name + dot + two-character ccTLD = 254 or three-chracter gTLD = 255), like a.a.a.(...).a.a.x.us/com

Although one can say "bottom level domain(s)" or "low level domains(s)" to "non - top level domains", their "official" term is still "sub level domain(s)".
 
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TLD is the segment of the domain name after the part
that comes after the final dot, but there’s a wide world of different TLDs for an example app.grammarly.com
app.= third level domain
.grammarly = second level
.com = top level

The third level is also known as the subdomain, and
the second level is also known as the lower-level domain.
 
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