In this article we introduce key terms that every website owner should know, or at least know where to find information about. Some of these terms are also needed to manage a content management system and an online store, and they are described in much more detail in the articles in the Glossary category.
If a term is described in more detail in that category, it always includes a link.
AUTH-ID
An authorization password for a domain or some other identifier, known only to the owner, used to authorize a transfer or other actions.
Central domain registry
The main database of domain names, their holders, and other data. The central registry is entrusted with managing specific TLDs (extensions such as .cz, .eu, .com, etc.). An example is CZ.NIC for the Czech national domain CZ.
Domain
Domains are unique names of computers and servers on the internet, behind which hides their numeric value (IP address), which computers use to communicate. A domain is an easier-to-remember name for people than the numeric one. A domain can have several levels separated by a dot, for example the third-level domain server.spacehost.com.
You can learn more in the article Domain.
DNS
This term is described in detail in the article DNS / DNS records.
DNSSEC
A technology that uses an electronic signature to verify the origin of data in DNS records. It prevents an attacker from feeding you fake DNS records and, for example, directing you to fraudulent websites.
ICANN
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a non-profit organization responsible for the DNS namespace, the distribution of large blocks of IP addresses, the management of autonomous system numbers, and more. It delegates the authority to manage individual TLDs to other entities (registries).
IDN
Some domains can contain characters from national alphabets (for example diacritics, Cyrillic, Greek, and others). These domains are referred to as IDN (Internationalized Domain Names).
Domain owner
The individual or legal entity that holds the domain.
Domain transfer
The process of moving a domain from one registrar to another. This process can differ for different types of TLDs or registries.
Registrar
A domain registrar is authorized to manage its domains in the central registry. It enables end customers (domain owners) to register and manage them.
Nameserver set (NSSET)
At least 2 nameservers (optionally with a technical contact authorized to manage the nameservers). These nameservers specify which servers should return the DNS records of the domain.
TLD
Top Level Domain. The part of a domain name at the very end, for example the Czech national domain cz in spacehost.cz. TLDs can be divided into several groups by meaning, for example ccTLD (Country code Top Level Domain), which are national domains, or gTLD (generic TLD), which are not tied to a specific country but to a certain meaning (com, net, org, info, biz, and others).
WHOIS
A service that provides information about domains, their contacts, nameservers, and other data associated with a domain. For the cz domain, see http://www.nic.cz/whois