Domain names are usually used to identify and access various resources on the Internet. They are a part of a website's URL (Uniform Resource Locater), e.g. www.google.com. They can also be found in an e-mail (electronic mail) address separated from the user name by the @ symbol. In general, the domain name will be included in the syntax of the access method that you use to communicate with a service or device in an IP network.

The methodology of domain names was originally defined back in 1983 for use with a predecessor of the Internet as we know it today named ARPANET. The current DNS methodology is designed so that every service or resource in the system will have its own unique name. The assigned name is known as the device's or host's domain name.

The service providers who delegate the autonomic spaces or domains of the Internet are referred to as Domain Name Registrars. All registers must be accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.) ICANN is in charge of overseeing the DNS system for the Internet. All TLDs (Top Level Domains) are also serviced by an organization known as the TLD Registry. This registry published the information that the domain name registrars send them via a special service known as the WHOIS protocol.

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