This article covers basic information about domains. If you are looking for basic information about DNS, go to the article DNS – Manual.
In this article you will read about:
Domains
Domains are the addresses of services on the internet. Their main purpose is to make them easy for people to read and remember. Through DNS, they then convert these words into codes and numeric addresses, which computers understand better.
You can find more information about DNS in the article DNS – Manual.
A domain usually consists of a name and extension (often called the TLD, from Top Level Domain). For example, for the domain wedos.cz the name is wedos and extension cz.
Higher-level domains, sometimes called subdomains, have several names separated by dots, for example client.wedos.com. If you have a registered domain, you automatically have control over all of its subdomains. You can manage subdomains using DNS by following the guide DNS – Subdomains, or directly on the web hosting by following the guide Webhosting – Subdomains.
Different extensions are managed by registry, for example CZ.NIC ⧉. These registries have contracts with registrars, for example WEDOS. Whenever you order a domain from a registrar, the registrar contacts the registry and takes care of the necessary formalities for you.
You can register a domain for a period of 1 to 10 years. During this period, and also in a certain phase after expiration, you can renewthe registration, but for no more than 10 years in total.
If the terms of your current registrar do not suit you, you can change it by transferring the domain to another registrar that offers the given extension. A transfer is usually charged as a renewal of the domain for 1 year (CZ domains are an exception, where the transfer is free).
Domain Registration
With WEDOS you can register any domain listed in our constantly expanding price list ⧉. We offer the national (ccTLD) domains CZ, PL, SK and EU, as well as a wide selection of generic (gTLD, nTLD) domains.
You can find a detailed procedure for ordering a domain in the guide Domains – Registering a New Service.
Domain Renewal
When you renew a domain, you extend its lease at the registry for at least another 1 year. We notify you of an approaching domain expiration by e-mail with a request to pay for the selected period.
We do not send the e-mail with the payment request if the domain is set to expire, or if you have these notifications turned off. Regardless of these settings, however, the registry may contact you about the domain’s expiration.
You can find a detailed guide to renewing a domain in the guide Services – Renewal.
Domains that you do not renew will expire. Expiration follows the rules of the specific registry. You can find detailed information in the article Services – Expiration.
Changing a Domain’s Registrar (Transfer)
Changing the registrar means changing the company through which you register the domain. It is not a change of the domain owner.
For a CZ domain, you change the registrar completely free of charge. For all other extensions, you renew the domain for 1 year at the same time (the renewal is already at our prices) – 365 days are added to the original expiration (validity) date of the domain.
You can find a detailed guide to transferring domains in the article Domains – Transfer.
Changing the Domain Owner
The domain owner is the person or company listed in the registry as the domain holder. It may differ from the customer in whose account the domain is located (e.g. an administrator), and from the subscriber (the person listed in billing).
By changing the domain owner, you therefore do not change the customer account or the billing details.
You can find a detailed guide to changing the domain owner in the article Domains – Owner Change.
Add-on Services
You can find the current overview of add-on services for domains on the product page Domains – Add-on Services.
Domain contacts
A domain contact contains information about a person or company, such as the name (company name), address, e-mail and phone contact. Each such contact is kept for a specific domain registry (e.g. CZ.NIC).
The unique identifier of such a contact is its ID, which you can enter when registering and sometimes also when transferring a domain within the given registry. You can therefore have multiple domains under a single contact, which makes it easier to manage personal or company details.
The system creates a domain contact automatically when you register (sometimes transfer) a domain and fill in the owner’s details manually. You can also create a contact manually by following the guide Domains – New Domain Contact.
Registries of generic domains require verification of the contact, which takes place via a link in an e-mail. The registry may block domains of contacts that have not been verified within 15 days.
You can edit your existing domain contact, except for the ID and the name of the person or company. Registries regard a change of the name as a change of owner. You can find more detailed information about editing domain contacts in the article Domains – Edit Contact.
Glossary
- AUTH-ID: The authorization password of a domain or domain contact. Some registries (CZ.NIC) allow you to request it from anywhere, others only through the registrar. It is used to authorize the transfer of a domain or contact and other actions. For instructions on how to request it, see Domains – Authorization Password.
- ccTLD: Country Code TLD, i.e. a national domain (specific to a given country and usually managed by a registry designated by it).
- DNS: Domain Name System. It is used to direct a domain to services on the internet and for other settings. For more information, see DNS – Manual.
- DNSSEC: A technology for verifying the origin of data in DNS records. It prevents false DNS records from being injected. For more information, see Domains – DNSSEC.
- Domain: A name that is easier for people to remember than the numeric designation (IP addresses) used by computers.
- Expiration: The end of the period for which the domain is registered, usually the start of the grace period.
- gTLD: Generic TLD, e.g. COM, NET, ORG, INFO. It does not belong to a specific country but rather reflects a purpose (com = commercial, org = international organization, …)
- ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A non-profit organization responsible for the DNS namespace, the distribution of large blocks of IP addresses, and more. It delegates the authority to manage individual TLDs to other entities (registries).
- IDN: Internationalized Domain Names. Domains containing special alphabet characters, for example diacritics.
- Contact: A set of information about a natural person or legal entity kept at the registry.
- Owner: A natural person or legal entity listed in the registry as the domain holder. For instructions on how to change the owner, see Domains – Owner Change.
- nTLD: New generic TLD, e.g. ONLINE, WEBSITE. They expand the range of gTLDs.
- Recovery: Restoration of the registration of a generic domain in a later stage of the grace period, charged according to the price list.
- Grace period: A certain period after expiration during which domains are, with some exceptions, taken offline, but can be renewed by paying the registration fee or by restoration (restore).
- Transfer: A change of the domain’s registrar. For transfer instructions, see Domains – Transfer.
- Registry: The main database of domain names, their holders and other data. A registry manages specific TLDs (extensions), e.g. the company CZ.NIC for the Czech national domain CZ.
- Registrar: A domain registrar enables end customers (owners) to register and manage domains. One of the registrars is WEDOS Internet, a.s.
- Restore: See Restoration.
- Subdomain: A higher-level domain, for example order.wedos.com. You do not register subdomains, you create them in DNS or directly on hosting.
- TLD: Top Level Domain. A top-level domain, e.g. CZ.
- Domain level: The number of parts of a domain name separated by dots. For example, com is a 1st-level domain, wedos.com a 2nd-level domain and kb.wedos.com a 3rd-level domain.
- WHOIS: A registry service that provides information about domains, their contacts, nameservers and other related data.