Domains - Manual

In this article you will read:

• What domains are and how they work
  • How to register a domain
  • How to extend a domain
  • How to change your domain registrar
  • How to change the owner of a domain
  • What additional services we offer for domains
• What domain contacts are and how they work
• Glossary of terms

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Domains

Domains are service addresses on the Internet. Their main purpose is to make them easy for people to read and remember. The DNS then translates these words into codes and numeric addresses that computers can better understand.

A domain usually consists of a name and an extension (often referred to as a TLD from Top Level Domain). For example, the wedos.cz domain has the name wedos and the extension cz. 

Higher-level domains, sometimes called subdomains, have multiple names separated by periods, such as client.wedos.com. If you have registered a domain, you are automatically responsible for managing all of its subdomains. You can manage subdomains using DNS by following the DNS - Subdomains instructions, or directly on your web host by following the Webhosting - Subdomains instructions.

The management of various extensions is the responsibility of registries, for example CZ.NIC ⧉. Registrars, such as WEDOS, have contracts with these registries. Whenever you order a domain from a registrar, they will contact the registry and handle the necessary arrangements for you.

You can register a domain for a period of 1 - 10 years. During this period and at a certain stage of expiration you can extend the registration, but not more than 10 years.

If you are not satisfied with the terms of the current registrar, you can change it by re-registering the domain with another registrar that offers the given extension. Re-registration is usually charged by extending the domain for 1 year (the exception is CZ domains, where re-registration is free).

Domain registration

At WEDOS you can register any domain listed in our ever-expanding price list ⧉. We offer national (ccTLD) domains CZ, PL, SK and EU, as well as a wide selection of generic (gTLD, nTLD) domains.

Detailed procedure for ordering a domain can be found in the Domains - Register a new service guide.

Domain renewal

When you renew your domain, you renew your lease with the registry for another minimum of 1 year. We will inform you of the upcoming expiration of the domain by e-mail with a call for payment of the set period. 

We do not send an email with a payment request if the domain is about to expire or if you have these notifications turned off. However, regardless of these settings, you may be contacted by the registry regarding the expiration of the domain.

Domains that you do not renew will expire. Expiration is governed by the rules of the specific registry. For detailed information, see the Services - Expiration article.

Change of domain registrar (re-registration)

A change of registrar means a change in the company through which you register the domain. It is not a change of domain owner.

With a CZ domain, you change registrar for free. For all other extensions, you extend the domain for 1 year at the same time (the extension is already at our prices) - you add 365 days to the original expiration date of the domain.

Change of domain owner

The domain owner is the person or company listed in the registry as the domain holder. It may be different from the customer in whose account the domain is located (e.g., the administrator) and from the customer (the person listed on the invoice).

Additional services

The current list of additional services to domains can be found on the Domains - Additional Services product page.

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Domain contacts

A domain contact contains information about a person or company, such as name (company name), address, email and phone contact. Each such contact is maintained 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 re-registering a domain within a given registry. Therefore, you can have multiple domains under one contact, making it easier to manage your personal or business data.

The domain contact is created automatically by the system when registering (sometimes re-registering) a domain, when you fill in the owner's details manually. You can also create a contact manually by following the Domains - New Domain Contact instructions.

You can edit your existing domain contact except for the ID and name of the person or company. Registries view a change of name as a change of owner. For more detailed information about modifying domain contacts, see Domains - Modifying a Contact.

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Glossary of terms

• AUTH-ID: The authorization password of the 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 domain or contact re-registration 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 its designated registry).
• DNS: Domain Name System. It is used to point a domain to services on the Internet and other settings. For more information, see DNS Manual.
• DNSSEC: A technology for verifying the origin of data in DNS records. It prevents spoofed DNS records from being planted. For more information, see Domains - DNSSEC.
• Domain: a more memorable name for a human to use for the numerical naming convention (IP addresses) used by a computer.
• Expiration: the end of the period for which the domain is registered, usually the entry into the protection period.
• gTLD: Generic TLD, e.g. COM, NET, ORG, INFO. Not country-specific, more about purpose (com = commercial, org = international organization, ...)
• ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A non-profit organization responsible for the DNS namespace, distribution of large blocks of IP addresses, etc. It delegates authority for the management of individual TLDs to other entities (registries).
• IDN: Internationalized Domain Names. Domains containing special alphabet characters, such as diacritics.
• Contact: a set of information about a natural or legal person held by the registry.
• Owner: The natural or legal person who is listed in the registry as the domain holder. For instructions on how to change the owner, see Domains - Change Owner.
• nTLD: New generic TLD, e.g. ONLINE, WEBSITE. They extend the range of gTLDs.
• Restoration: Renewal of a generic domain registration at a later stage of the protection period , subject to a fee as per the price list.
• Protection period: a period of time after expiration during which domains are shut down, with exceptions, but can be extended by paying a registration fee or by renewal (restoration).
• Re-registration: change of domain registrar. For instructions on how to re-register, see Domains - Re-registration.
• Registry: the main database of domain names, their holders and other data. The registry manages specific TLDs (extensions), e.g. the company CZ.NIC for the Czech national domain CZ.
• Registrar: a domain registrar is a provider of domain registration and management to end customers (owners). One of the registrars is WEDOS Internet, a.s.
• Restore: See Restore.
• Subdomain: a higher-level domain, such as order.wedos.com. You don't register subdomains, you create them in DNS or directly on the hosting.
• TLD: Top Level Domain. Top Level Domain, e.g. CZ.
• Domain level: the number of parts of a domain name separated by periods. For example, com is a level 1 domain, wedos.com is a level 2 domain, and kb.wedos.com is a level 3 domain.
• WHOIS: A registry service that provides information about domains, their contacts, nameservers and other related data.