Types of domain extensions explained
What a TLD is and every type of domain extension explained: gTLDs, ccTLDs, generic country codes, new gTLDs, sponsored, .brand, city, IDN and infrastructure TLDs, and which to choose.
Domain extension guides: all types · gTLD · ccTLD · ccTLDs Google treats as global · new gTLDs · sponsored · .brand · city and region · IDN · SLDs and subdomains · domain hacks
The part of a domain after the last dot, like .com, .uk or .app, is called the top-level domain (TLD), or extension. There are more than a thousand active ones, and they come in several types. Here's what each type means and when to use it.
What is a TLD?
A TLD is the highest level of the domain name system. In shop.sunnybakery.com, .com is the TLD, sunnybakery is the second-level domain, and shop is a subdomain. Each TLD is run by a registry, and the full list of TLDs lives in the internet's root zone, managed by IANA.
As of early 2026, IANA's root database listed 1,593 TLD entries, including some that have been retired and a few test entries, which leaves well over 1,400 active TLDs.
The types at a glance
| Type | Examples | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| gTLD (generic) | .com, .net, .org, .info | Open endings not tied to a country |
| ccTLD (country code) | .us, .uk, .ca, .de | Two letters for a country or territory |
| gccTLD | .io, .ai, .co, .me, .tv | Country codes that Google treats as global |
| New gTLDs | .app, .shop, .xyz, .online | Endings added since 2013 |
| sTLD (sponsored) | .gov, .edu, .aero, .museum | For a specific community, with rules |
| .brand TLDs | .google, .bmw | Owned and used by one company |
| GeoTLDs | .nyc, .london, .miami | Cities and regions |
| IDN TLDs | .рф, .中国 | Endings in non-Latin scripts |
| Infrastructure | .arpa | Used for internet plumbing, not websites |
Below the TLD, some countries and companies offer names at the second level, like .co.uk. And some people use endings creatively to spell words, called domain hacks.
Which type should you choose?
- Most businesses: .com, if you can get a good one.
- Serving one country: that country's ccTLD is often trusted as much as .com locally.
- Tech startups: .io, .ai or .co are popular and treated as global by Google.
- A name that reads well with its ending: a new gTLD like .shop or .studio can work.
Google treats generic endings, including new gTLDs, the same in rankings. Content and links matter far more than the ending. See how Google ranked domains then and now. Compare prices across registrars with TLD-List.
Questions
What is a TLD?
A top-level domain is the last part of a domain name, after the final dot, like .com, .uk or .app.
How many TLDs are there?
Well over 1,400 active ones. IANA's root database listed 1,593 entries in early 2026, including some retired and test entries.
What's the difference between a gTLD and a ccTLD?
A gTLD is a generic ending not tied to a country, like .com. A ccTLD is a two-letter country ending, like .uk.