Introducing web search monitors

What is a domain?

The human-readable name that identifies a site on the internet, the part that maps to an IP address through DNS.

A domain name is structured right-to-left: top-level domain (.com), then the registered name (example), then optional subdomains (www, blog, api). Together they form the fully qualified domain name (FQDN), blog.example.com, that DNS resolves to an IP.

Domains are leased, not owned. A registrant pays an annual fee to a registrar (Namecheap, Porkbun, Cloudflare Registrar) which records the lease with the registry that operates the TLD (Verisign for .com, .ME for .me, etc.). If the lease lapses, the domain returns to the registry pool.

For Context.dev, the domain is the primary key. Pass any domain to our APIs and we return the brand, colors, fonts, logo, social profiles, and metadata for the entity that owns it. The whole product is built around the assumption that the domain is the most reliable identifier a company has on the internet.

In the wild

  • example.com, the FQDN
  • example, the second-level domain (the registered name)
  • .com, the top-level domain
All glossary terms

How Context.dev uses domain

Endpoints in the Context.dev API where this concept comes up directly.

FAQ

Domain vs URL, what's the difference?

A domain identifies a host (example.com). A URL identifies a specific resource on that host (https://example.com/about). The domain is one component of the URL.

How do I buy a domain?

Through a registrar, Cloudflare and Porkbun are popular choices for at-cost pricing. The lease is annual, and you set DNS records through the registrar's control panel or by delegating to a different DNS provider.

What does it mean to "park" a domain?

Holding a registered domain without using it for a real site. Parked pages often display ads or list the domain for resale.

Related terms

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