Domain Name: What is it?

A domain name is a website’s equivalent of a physical address. It works similarly to GPS. A web browser like Chrome or Internet Explorer needs a domain name to direct you to a website.
A domain has two main elements. For example, the domain softlinkoptions.co.ke consists of the website’s name (softlinkoptions) and the name extension (co.ke). When a company or a person purchases a domain name, they can specify which server the name points.
Organizations such as ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) oversee registrations. In Kenya, the local registry KENIC (KE). ICANN or KENIC oversees the registration. KENIC specifies which domain extensions are available and keeps a centralized database of where the names point.
Every website one visits effectively consists of two main elements: a domain name and a web server.
A web server is a physical machine that hosts websites’ files and databases. A server sends out those files to people across the internet when they visit your site from their device.
The domain name is what people type in to access your site. It points the web browser to the server that stores those resources. Without a domain name, people would need to remember your server’s specific IP address, and that’s just not going to happen. They are usually long and difficult to remember, so the domain name provides an easily memorable word.

At Softlink Options we take pride in the quality of our products and services. Check out our domain registration packages.