Domain Names, DNS, and How to Get a .com — From Names to Infrastructure

Source: Dev.to

The digital infrastructure that lets us browse the internet intuitively is built on a complex yet fascinating system. Behind every website we visit lies a network of domain names, IP addresses, and servers working together to deliver a seamless experience. Understanding how domain names work is essential for anyone building an online presence—whether for a personal project, a startup, or a professional brand.

Domain names exist to solve a very human problem. Computers identify each other using IP addresses—long numeric sequences that are extremely hard to remember. In the early days of the internet, these mappings were stored in a shared file called hosts, manually distributed among internet providers. That approach worked… until the internet exploded.

To scale globally, the Domain Name System (DNS) was created: a distributed database that translates human‑friendly names like platzi.com into machine‑readable IP addresses. Without DNS, you would need to remember numbers instead of names.

Domain name rules

• Traditionally used only English letters (today, international characters like ñ are supported via IDNs)
• Usually start with a letter, not a number
• Case‑insensitive
• Must end with a Top‑Level Domain (TLD)

Top‑Level Domains (TLDs) Explained

TLDs are the suffixes that appear at the end of domain names.

Some countries use compound domains:

• United Kingdom → .co.uk
• Spain → .es

New TLDs

Recent years have introduced many modern TLDs, such as:

• .info
• .promo
• .love
• .ai (now highly valuable due to artificial intelligence)

Acquiring a Domain

Buying a domain only gives you the right to point a name to an IP address—think of it like buying a street address without owning the building.

1. Check name availability
2. Choose a TLD
3. Purchase it (usually for 1–10 years)

⚠️ Recommendation: Avoid GoDaddy due to questionable practices, such as buying searched domains and reselling them at higher prices.

WHOIS privacy

Without privacy enabled, your name, physical address, and email are publicly visible via WHOIS. Always enable domain privacy unless you have a specific reason not to.

Configuring DNS Records

Once you own a domain, you configure it using DNS records.

• A record – points a domain to an IP address.
  Example: freddyvega.com → 209.97.145.61

• CNAME record – creates an alias or subdomain.
  Example: docs.google.com (where docs is a subdomain pointing to another hostname)

Common uses of DNS records

• Domain ownership verification
• Email security (SPF, DKIM)
• Service configuration

Best Practices & Signals

• Search engines often treat older domains and domains registered for longer periods (5–10 years) as more trustworthy—not a guarantee, but a positive signal.
• Domain names are the entry point to digital identity. Once you understand DNS, TLDs, records, and IP mapping, you stop seeing the web as magic and start seeing it as structured, logical infrastructure.

What domain name would you choose for your next project?