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Cloudflare
cloudflare.com › learning › dns › glossary › what-is-a-domain-name
What is a domain name? | Domain names vs. URLs | Cloudflare
A domain name is a string of text that maps to an alphanumeric IP address, used to access a website from client software. In plain English, a domain name is the text that a user types into a browser window to reach a particular website.
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MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Learn_web_development › Howto › Web_mechanics › What_is_a_domain_name
What is a Domain Name? - Learn web development | MDN
Domain names are a key part of the Internet infrastructure. They provide a human-readable address for any web server available on the Internet. Any Internet-connected computer can be reached through a public IP Address, either an IPv4 address (e.g., 192.0.2.172) or an IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8:8b73:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:1337). Computers can handle such addresses easily, but people have a hard time finding out who is ...
People also ask

What is www? Is it a part of domain names?
WWW stands for World Wide Web. Early internet experts used it to show something was a web address. It is not required now, and many websites don't use "www" in their addresses. Technically, "www" is a subdomain of your main domain. Anything before your main domain with a dot is a subdomain (like videos.wpbeginner.com).
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wpbeginner.com
wpbeginner.com › home › beginners guide › beginner’s guide: what is a domain name and how do domains work?
Beginner's Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?
What is DNS (Domain Name System)?
DNS is the system that translates user-friendly domain names into alphanumerical IP addresses, enabling browsers to load the correct website when a domain name is entered.
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cloudflare.com
cloudflare.com › learning › dns › glossary › what-is-a-domain-name
What is a domain name? | Domain names vs. URLs | Cloudflare
What is the difference between a domain name and a website?
A website is made of files like HTML pages, website builder software, and images. It gives you an online presence. If the domain name is the web address, then web hosting is the home where your website lives.
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wpbeginner.com
wpbeginner.com › home › beginners guide › beginner’s guide: what is a domain name and how do domains work?
Beginner's Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?

identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet

In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Domain_name
Domain name - Wikipedia
November 14, 2025 - Domain names are often used to ... application-specific naming and addressing purposes. In general, a domain name identifies a network domain or an Internet Protocol (IP) resource, such as a personal computer ......
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Lenovo
lenovo.com › home
What Is Domain? Domain Name, DNS & Meaning Explained | Lenovo US
A domain can have multiple ranges which are defined by the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is a process which translates alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses, allowing computers to locate and communicate with each other over the Internet. A range within DNS consists of two values specifying a start address and an end address.
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Hostinger
hostinger.com › home › tutorials › what is a domain name?
What is a domain name? Simple explanation for beginners
August 31, 2023 - A domain name is a human-friendly website address on the Internet, like google.com or wikipedia.org. It acts as a shortcut to complex IP addresses or long strings of numbers that computers use to locate websites on the web.
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Mailchimp
mailchimp.com › marketing-glossary › domain-name
What is a Domain Name? | Mailchimp
A domain or domain name is what comes between the @ in your email address and the .com, .org, .net, etc. (For example, [email protected].) Domains help your customers find and remember where your business is located on the internet.
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WPBeginner
wpbeginner.com › home › beginners guide › beginner’s guide: what is a domain name and how do domains work?
Beginner's Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?
July 28, 2025 - A domain name is your website’s unique address on the internet. People type it into their browser to find your site. Think of it like a street address for a house. Behind the scenes, every device on the internet has a special number called an IP address. It looks like 66.249.66.1. These numbers help computers talk to each other, but they are hard for people to remember.
Find elsewhere
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HubSpot
blog.hubspot.com › website › what-is-a-domain
What is a domain name? See these definitions + examples
August 21, 2025 - An internet domain is what I've been discussing so far and refers to the address of a website on the public internet. A network domain functions entirely differently. It describes a group of interconnected devices like desktops, printers, and servers sharing the same purpose. For instance, during my computer engineering days at the university, we used a network domain to manage all our lab computers and printers under a single administrative domain.
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Network Solutions
networksolutions.com › home › blog › domains & hosting​ › what are domain names and how do they work?
What are Domain Names and How do They Work?
October 24, 2025 - A domain name is the unique address people type into their browser to visit a website. It acts like your site’s street address on the internet. For example, in www.google.com, “google.com” is the domain name.
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Cloudflare
cloudflare.com › learning › dns › what-is-dns
What is DNS? | How DNS works | Cloudflare
DNS, or the domain name system, is the phonebook of the Internet, connecting web browsers with websites. Learn more about how DNS works and what DNS servers do.
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TechTarget
techtarget.com › whatis › definition › domain
What is a domain in computing?
An internet domain is an administrative structure for organizing, delivering and accessing services on the internet. The terms "domain" and "domain name" are often used interchangeably (in context of the internet) because the domain structure ...
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Wix
wix.com › blog › what-is-a-domain
What Is a Domain Name? A Guide For Beginners
2 weeks ago - Think of the website name as your site’s identity, while the domain name is the way people access it online. A domain name in computing is a web address used to access websites, making it easier to locate online resources without relying on ...
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › computer networks › introduction-to-domain-name
Introduction to Domain Name - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - It implements a distributed database which translates IP address into a unique alphanumeric address which is referred to as Domain Names. Basically, a domain name is the sequence of letters and or numbers separated by one or more period ("."). It ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/webdev › what exactly is a domain?
r/webdev on Reddit: What exactly is a domain?
September 19, 2023 -

Hey guys.

I looked in a lot of places but I'm confused... Title.

I thought that the "domain" was just a server that lets you create and store a name/link with the desired extension that would prevent other people from using it. But then there's services, etc. If I use a site builder, like Wix, what else would I have with a service? I take it, just matters related to domain transfers and such...

Also, does it matter where I buy it? I hear Cloudflare and google is good but godaddy isn't. Why?

Thanks!!

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GoDaddy
godaddy.com › resources › skills › domains › what is a domain name? domains vs urls — your ultimate guide
What is a domain name? Domains vs URLs — Your ultimate guide
Your domain is the place people go to visit your website, and each domain is entirely unique. Technically, a domain name simplifies browsing the internet and accessing a specific website. Instead of entering a long IP address, (a complex string of numbers and letters computers use to recognize a website – e.g.
Published   August 25, 2025
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Domain_Name_System
Domain Name System - Wikipedia
1 day ago - The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed name service that provides a naming system for computers, services, and other resources on the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It associates various information with domain names (identification strings) assigned ...
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Google Support
support.google.com › a › answer › 2573637
Domain name basics - Google Workspace Admin Help
Here are some common terms you may encounter when managing an Internet domain name. Click a term below to jump to the description of the term and its practical use with your Google service. See also DNS basics for terms related to the Domain Name System that manages the relationship between IP addresses and domains. ... A domain name (often simply called a domain) is an easy-to-remember name that’s associated with a physical IP address on the Internet.
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Computer Hope
computerhope.com › jargon › d › domain.htm
What Is a Domain?
How to register a domain name. Internet help. 2. With a computer network, a domain is a group of resources assigned to a specific group of individuals. It is used to divide global areas or departments of a corporation.
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Fortinet
fortinet.com › resources › cyberglossary › what-is-dns
What Is Domain Name System (DNS)? | Fortinet
DNS servers make it possible for ... website. A DNS server is a computer with a database containing the public IP addresses associated with the names of the websites an IP address brings a user to....
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ICANN
icann.org › resources › pages › about-domain-names-2018-08-30-en
About Domain Names - ICANN
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps you find your way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address. This address is a rather complicated string of numbers called "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol").