This list of Internet top-level domains (TLD) contains top-level domains, which are those domains in the DNS root zone of the Domain Name System of the Internet. A list of the top-level domains by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is maintained at the Root Zone Database.[1] IANA also oversees the approval process for new proposed top-level domains for ICANN. As of April 2021, the IANA Root Zone Database listed 1,502 top-level domains, including active, reserved, retired, and special-use domains.[2] By March 31, 2025, the number of actively delegated top-level domains had decreased to 1,264, reflecting removals, retirements, and changes in the root zone database.[3][4][5] As of March 2021[update], the IANA root database includes 1589 TLDs. That also includes 68 that are not assigned (revoked), 8 that are retired and 11 test domains.[1] Those are not represented in IANA's listing[4] and are not in root.zone file (root.zone file also includes one root domain).[6]
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. Though originally intended for use by for-profit business entities, for a number of reasons it became the main TLD for domain names and is currently used by all types of entities including nonprofits, schools, and private individuals. Domain name registrations may be successfully challenged if the holder cannot prove an outside relation justifying reservation of the name,[9] to prevent "squatting". It was originally administered by the United States Department of Defense.
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. Originally created as a miscellaneous category as stated in RFC 920 (October 1984) "...any other domains meeting the second level requirements," and clarified in RFC 1591 (March 1994), "This domain is intended as the miscellaneous TLD for organizations that didn't fit anywhere else. Some non-government organizations may fit here."[10][11] While mainly non-profits have used this domain, it was never restricted from miscellaneous use.
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. According to RFC 1591 (March 1994) "This domain is intended to hold only the computers of network providers."[11]
The .int TLD is strictly limited to organizations, offices, and programs endorsed by a treaty between two or more nations. However, a few grandfathered domains do not meet these criteria.
The .edu TLD is limited to specific higher educational institutions such as, but not limited to, trade schools and universities. In the U.S., its use was restricted in 2001 to post-secondary institutions accredited by an agency on the list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies. This domain is therefore almost exclusively used by colleges and universities. Some institutions, such as the Exploratorium, that do not meet the current registration criteria have grandfathered domain names.
The .gov TLD is limited to United States governmental entities and agencies as well as qualifying state, county and local municipal government agencies, and tribal governments.
As of 20 May 2017, there were 255 country-code top-level domains, purely in the Latin alphabet, using two-character codes. As of June 2022[update], the number was 316, with the addition of internationalized domains.[1]
Upon request, you will be required to demonstrate current or pending designation as a GmbH company whose existence can be validated with the respective public authorities in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
Must use the domain in connection with a "clearly identified political/democratic process."[18] Initially only available to registrations in the United States.[19]
"The purpose of .ALSACE is to bring Alsatian culture and identity to the Internet, make our region more visible internationally and boost the digital economy in Alsace."[43]
Not installed as a domain name, but usable in text as an example. (example.com, example.net, and example.org are also reserved for this purpose but are active sites.)
Besides the TLDs managed (or at least tracked) by IANA or ICANN, other independent groups have created, or had attempted to create, their own TLDs with varying technical specifications, functions, and outcomes.
Registered by an independent 3rd party (as of writing). Microsoft gave up the domain in January 2014[172]. In addition Microsoft also never requested it to become an ICANN/IANA owned special-use domain name.
A special-use domain for representing IPv6 addresses within primarily UNC paths as ":" is a reserved character in Windows. Usage is NOT restricted towards UNC paths. See [IPv6_address#Literal_IPv6_addresses_in_UNC_path_names]. Compared to ip6.arpa reverse lookup domains it will return an IPv6 address but without generating any DNS queries.
ICANN has registered this top-level domain for private use.[175]
.intranet
The IETF does not recommend use of unregistered top-level domains at all, but should network operators decide to do this, the following top-level domains have been used on private internal networks without the problems caused by trying to reuse ".local" for this purpose.
.private
.corp
Mentioned by ICANN for causing a name collision.[176]
.home
.lan
Many routers automatically append ".lan" to local device hostnames, including those that use OpenWrt.
Blockchain-based domains are registered and exchanged using a public blockchain like Ethereum. Oftentimes, these domains serve specific functions such as creating human-readable references to smart contract addresses used in DApps or personal wallet addresses.[177] Generally, these non-standard domains are unreachable through the normal DNS resolution process and instead require clients to use some sort of transparent web proxy or gateway to access them
The .agt (agent) TLD is a decentralized top-level domain operating within the Web3 ecosystem, primarily positioned as an identifier for AI agents and autonomous systems.[178] The TLD is offered by Web3 domain providers, such as Freename, an ICANN-accredited registrar[179] that bridges traditional DNS with blockchain technology. .agt domains can be minted as NFTs across multiple blockchains (Polygon, Solana, BNBChain, BASE, Aurora, Sei, Abstract, Chiliz, and Etherlink), eliminating traditional renewal fees and providing registrants lifetime ownership. Popular .agt domains function as human-readable aliases for AI agents, agentic and tool-calling functions, cryptocurrency wallets, decentralized digital identities, AI agent ID, and addresses for hosting decentralized websites.
N/A
Handshake
Handshake is both an alternative DNS root zone and a domain name-centric blockchain meant for managing TLDs in a decentralized way which allows virtually any domain to be registered as a TLD by end users. The project intends to be a more resilient and distributed implementation of the global root zone without needing a centralized organization, like ICANN, to manage or operate it. However, it doesn't aim to outright replace the existing root zone, as it reserves all existing TLDs so that a query for wikipedia.org, for example, that is sent to a Handshake node can be redirected to the traditional root.[180]
.eth
Ethereum
Domains under the .eth TLD are primarily used as human-readable aliases to Ethereum wallet addresses, rather than IP addresses,[181] though some efforts into expanding the use of .eth into the traditional DNS space have been made.
.crypto
Ethereum
.crypto aims to make cryptocurrency wallet address resolution easier, with the exception that, unlike the other examples mentioned here, the TLD is the product of a for-profit company, Unstoppable Domains, that markets the domain as an alternative DNS root despite being entirely dependent on the traditional root zone.[182]
Namecoin's .bit TLD technically operates as a single-domain DNS root, though has historically peered with the OpenNIC root zone to provide greater accessibility. The popularity and usage of .bit domains is much lower than the other projects mentioned, despite it being the earliest example. This is primarily due to the negative reputation Namecoin has garnered after .bit domains became popular for sharing and distributing illegal or illicit content such as malware, which ultimately prompted OpenNIC to end its peering agreement and stop serving the TLD in its root zone in 2018.[183]
In the case of alternative DNS roots, organizations or projects make use of the same mechanisms of the DNS but instead take on the role of ICANN in managing and administering an entirely separate root zone, thus having the ability to create new TLDs independently. However, this doesn't make these domains any less isolated from the rest of the internet, as the ability for clients to resolve them theoretically only requires switching to a recursive DNS resolver that recognizes and serves records underneath the alternate root zone.
^ abThis domain has been delegated to IRI Domain Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Intellectual Reserve, Inc., which is owned and operated by the LDS Church.