What is a TLD?

The term top-level domain, or TLD, refers to the first part of every domain name. For example, in the domain name dnsimple.com the TLD is COM.

There are currently over 1200 TLDs, but not all of them are open for registration. For more information about available and supported TLDs, check the list of TLDs supported by DNSimple for registration and transfer.

Even if a TLD is not supported for registration or transfer, you can still add the domain to your account to use DNSimple for the DNS hosting or other domain services such as purchasing an SSL certificate.

TLDs are generally grouped into 3 different categories:

gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domains): this is the most common and well known category, that include general-purpose extensions such as the .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, and many others.
ccTLD (Country-Code Top-Level Domains): this category includes all the extensions used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. Notable examples are .US, .CA, and .UK.

Some ccTLDs have become so famous that are sometimes being confused with gTLDs. This is, for instance, the case of the .IO TLD very popular in the internet/tech industry, or the .CO TLD that has been widely used as a replacement for .COM.
newGTLD (New Generic Top-Level Domains): this category includes all the new domain names that have been created after ICANN/IANA decided to open the application of new TLDs to the market.

This category contains hundreds of domain names. Just to name a few: .SHOP, .EMAIL, .XYZ, etc.