A custom Internet domain is a registered Internet name you choose for your own identity, organization, or project, then configure in DNS for services such as a website or email. The name is yours to manage, but registration alone does not provide a website, hosting, or mailboxes.
What a custom Internet domain means
A domain name is a readable name in the Domain Name System (DNS), the Internet’s hierarchical naming system. DNS lets people use names instead of numerical network addresses and can direct requests to services associated with those names. ICANN explains that registering a domain creates a named realm in DNS: ICANN’s “About Domain Names” explainer.
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“Custom domain” is an informal way to describe a domain name selected and registered for your own use. It is not a special DNS technology or a separate kind of URL.
How a domain name is structured
Domain names are read as a hierarchy, with parts separated by dots. In whois.icann.org, org is the top-level domain, icann is the second-level name, and whois is a subdomain at the third level. A subdomain is a name beneath a domain; for example, blog.example.com is under example.com. DNS authority can be delegated at different levels.
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What a domain is—and is not
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Domain name | A readable name in the DNS hierarchy, such as example.com. |
| Custom domain | A domain name you select and register for your own identity or project. |
| Subdomain | A name beneath a domain, such as blog.example.com. |
| Website | Hosted content or a service that can be reached through a domain. Registering the name does not create or host that content. |
| URL | A locator for a particular resource. A domain can be one component of a URL, but the terms are not interchangeable. |
ICANN explicitly distinguishes a domain name from both a website and a URL. For instance, registering example.com does not create a page to show when someone visits it. You need website content and a service that makes it available.
Which services may be involved
Several distinct jobs may be needed to use a domain. One company can provide more than one service, but the functions remain different. ICANN describes the roles in its registrar information and industry information.
- Registrar: handles domain registration. For generic top-level domains, registration is through an ICANN-accredited registrar or its reseller. Country-code domains use the relevant operator’s registration channels.
- DNS host: manages DNS records that connect the domain or its subdomains to services, such as a website or email.
- Web host: provides server storage and access that make website content available to browsers.
- Email host: provides the mail service and mailboxes. A domain can be configured for email, but registration by itself does not include an inbox.
ICANN does not sell domain names; its registrant information points people to registrars.
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What you can use a custom domain for
Once the needed services are in place and DNS is configured, a domain can point to a website, support subdomains for different services, or be used for email. For example, an organization might use example.com for its website, blog.example.com for a blog, and addresses ending in @example.com through an email provider. Each use depends on the relevant service being set up; owning the name alone does not supply it.
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What happens after registration
- Register the name: choose a registration channel for the relevant top-level domain. Generic and country-code top-level domains can have different registration channels.
- Choose where DNS is managed: use the registrar’s DNS tools or a separate DNS host, depending on your setup.
- Configure the records for your service: point the domain or subdomain to the website or email service you intend to use. The required records depend on that service.
- Set up the service itself: provide website content and hosting for a site, or create an email account with an email host. DNS configuration connects the name to a service; it does not create the service.
ICANN’s registration guidance addresses the common follow-up question of how to turn a newly registered name into a working website: registration is only one part of that setup.
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