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.com or .net is a Top Level Domain (TLD). Let's say I have example.com, example is a subdomain of .com. So if I'm buying example.com I actually buy subdomain example.

In other words the registrar only providing paid service of .com subdomain because I'm buying example subdomain and I'm not buying the .com domain itself.

So that's mean I'm just buying a subdomain from the registrar. Do I understand it correctly? Does any information I provided is wrong?

Thank you

sg552
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1 Answers1

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Your theory is right, but no one actually makes that distinction :) The DNS system is a tree, there's a ROOT domain that is nameless, represented by a single dot. So example.com is really example.com.

A DNS tree is like this:

.
.com
.example
.www

Each name to the right on a full DNS address (like www.example.com) is a subdomain of the left one, but since the TLDs are regulated you need a registrar to make it resolvable for other people.

So, you are correct, but no one says that.

coredump
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  • I appreciate your reply. Isn't that misleading for the registrar to advertise selling .com domain when they actually selling subdomain. – sg552 Feb 14 '12 at 11:44
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    It's just terminology. Since you can't be found on the outside world without at least `domain.tld` they call it a domain. Calling it subdomain would just cause confusion. – coredump Feb 14 '12 at 11:47