Glossary · Domains and ownership
Domain name
A human-readable name used to reach internet services, controlled through registration and DNS rather than by the website files themselves.
Also called: domain
Definition
A domain name is a named location in the Domain Name System. Registration establishes control of the name for a period; DNS records then direct website, email, verification, and other traffic. The domain, hosting account, website source, and business email are separate assets even when one vendor sells all of them.
Why it matters
The business should know who owns the registration, controls renewal and recovery, and can change the DNS records.
Common misunderstanding
Buying hosting does not necessarily give the buyer independent ownership of the domain, and moving a website does not always require transferring the domain registration.
Related terms
Related system family: Hosting & Release
Sources
- RFC 1034: Domain names — concepts and facilities (opens in a new tab) · RFC Editor / IETF
- DNS concepts (opens in a new tab) · Cloudflare Developers
Last reviewed July 16, 2026