What is a Domain Name?

Let us start this guide by looking at this simple question:

what is a domain name?

This question may seem quite simple and obvious to the web savvy.

But to the majority of us, well...that might be another Greek term.

A domain name is an IP address on the internet which helps people to find websites.

I just mentioned an IP address, right!...so what is an IP address?

This is an abbreviation that stands for internet protocol. In other words it is a unique string of numbers usually shown in groups separated by periods.

Here is an example 64.233.167.99.

Computers connected on the internet communicate with each other using an IP address. Whenever a given computer wants to send data to another computer, it uses the IP address to locate and find the other computer.

Simple activity.

For a moment just imagine you are a computer.

Now imagine you need to communicate with another computer with an IP address 64.233.167.99

Go ahead copy and paste or type the following number into your browser: 64.233.167.99 Were you suprised, what page came up? Well that is there IP address.

That is how computer identify and communicate with each other. (We will talk about the DNS--Domain name system) later.

Finally just imagine trying to remember an IP address like “Go to 64.233.167.99 or 216.109.112.135 to search the internet” If you are like most of us then remembering such numerical numbers soon becomes a difficult aspect to do.

It also sound really wierd or creepy to tell your friend to go to 64.233.167.99 to check out this great story or deal.

So far we have seen that computers use an IP address to identify other computers as a distinct alphabetical address.

What about humans?

That brings us to part two of our question...what is a domain name.

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