Once upon a time, there were essentially just a handful of different domain name extensions to choose from. (A domain name extension is the topmost part of the domain name under which all domains are registered, such as .com or .co.uk)

On the international front, the choice used to between .com for commercial organizations, .net for network services such as ISPs and .org for non-profit organizations.

On a country by country basis, many countries offered domains based on the two-character ISO country codes, such as ".fr" for France, ".jp" for Japan and so on.

Then the picture became more complicated, with more and more domain names and alternatives springing up until we were left with the mess that is the current domain name industry.

While it's not possible to cover every minor variation, this article will give you a broad overview of the various types of domain name extension currently on the market, together with a "feel" for their general credibility and usability.

Remember: in the domain name industry like in every other industry, the name of the game is "buyer beware"! If you don't know what you're doing, you may be buying a domain name that only a fraction of the Web can reach - or one that has no real existence outside a database and an accounting entry, one that cannot be used for an actual site! To avoid being caught out with the wrong kind of domain name, it's important to understand what different types of domain name extension exist.

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