To understand what a domain is, we first need to know why and where it exists.

In the 1960s, government researchers wanted to share their information, but computers back then were enormous—sometimes weighing over 16,000 pounds. If researchers wanted access to information stored on a computer, they had to travel to it physically or send data on magnetic tapes via snail mail.

During the Cold War, with the space race in full swing and the Soviet Union’s success in launching the Sputnik satellite, the U.S. Defense Department was under pressure to develop a way for information to be accessed even after a nuclear attack. This led to the creation of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), alongside the U.S. Defense Department’s Data Defense Network.

These networks allowed information sharing, but they were limited to agencies with academic or government contracts. You needed both a computer and access to one of these exclusive networks. This unequal access sparked the creation of independent networks, each with its own protocols, creating a kind of "Tower of Babel."

Uniting Intranets: The Birth of the Internet

In the early days, the sharing system was managed by the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International). SRI assigned numerical addresses (IP addresses) to host files. As technology advanced and computers became smaller, companies like General Electric and Remington-Rand used their own internal networks for things like research and payroll.

By January 1, 1983, the Internet as we know it was born. All computers connected to it communicated using standardized protocols—Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). This coincided with the creation of the Domain Name System (DNS), which linked IP addresses to human-readable domain names.

If the Internet is like a post office, TCP is the protocol that determines how the "packages" (data) are sent. A domain name is like the street address, and the IP address is the house number that tells the network where the information is going.

Keeping the Internet Safe for Travelers

In 1991, the TCP standard evolved into HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), which is like a basic envelope for general information sharing online. By 1997, HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) was introduced for securely transmitting sensitive data using encryption—think of it as certified mail.

Don’t Get Lost on the Information Highway

A domain name gives a unique identity to an IP address. Think of it as a name like "The Smiths," with an associated numerical address, like a GPS location. Just as physical addresses have multiple parts (house number, street, city, etc.), domain names have different levels.

In 1985, there were only a few top-level domains (TLDs), like ".com" and ".edu." Today, there are over 1,500 TLDs, including ".guru," ".club," and ".life," allowing individuals to be specific about their websites' purpose.

Beneath TLDs are second-level domains (SLDs)—for example, "Google" or "Facebook." Further still are subdomains like "www" or custom ones like "shop" or "help," which specify sections of a site. Rather than owning a "house" online, think of owning a domain like buying a condo: you never truly own the land it's built on, and you have to follow guidelines and pay fees to live in that space.

What’s Your URL?

A domain is not the same as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A URL is how you are given space on someone else’s domain, like www.facebook.com/yournamehere. This is akin to staying in a shared shelter. While these sites collect user data and algorithms, they often lack proper safety guidelines, which can make them risky places for users.

From Online Homelessness to Owning Your Domain

Owning a domain is a lot like homeownership—it can be hard to achieve. Finding the right digital "land" and setting up a domain that suits your needs can be challenging. But unlike physical space, there’s no shortage of digital land. The barriers are often knowledge and accessibility, not availability.

With your own domain, you create your own space in the vast world of the Internet. It’s a place where your information, content, and ideas truly belong to you.