Reference
Domain name glossary
The terms used across this site and in domain registration, in plain language.
- Auth code (EPP code)
A secret code from your current registrar that authorizes a transfer to another registrar.
At .site.ink: Keep it private; anyone with it can request a transfer. Read more →
- DNS
The Domain Name System, which translates names into the addresses and settings computers use.
At .site.ink: Your registrar or DNS host publishes your records. Read more →
- DNSSEC
An extension to DNS that signs records so resolvers can detect tampering.
At .site.ink: Supported through DS records sent by your registrar. Read more →
- DS record
A record in the parent zone that links to a signed domain’s DNSSEC key.
At .site.ink: Your registrar submits it to the registry. Read more →
- EPP
The Extensible Provisioning Protocol registrars use to create, renew, and transfer domains at a registry.
At .site.ink: Registrars connect over EPP with mutual TLS. Read more →
- Grace period
A window after an operation or expiry during which it can be reversed or the domain renewed normally.
At .site.ink: After expiry the grace period is 45 days. Read more →
- IDN
Internationalized domain name: a name with characters beyond a–z, 0–9, and hyphen.
At .site.ink: Not available yet. Read more →
- Nameserver
A server that answers DNS queries for a domain.
At .site.ink: A domain needs 2–13 nameservers to be published. Read more →
- Pending delete
The final days before a domain is released; it can no longer be restored.
At .site.ink: It lasts 5 days. Read more →
- Public Suffix List (PSL)
A community list that tells browsers and services where independently owned names begin.
At .site.ink: site.ink is not on the list yet. Read more →
- RDAP
The Registration Data Access Protocol: the modern, structured successor to WHOIS.
At .site.ink: The WHOIS page on this site uses RDAP. Read more →
- Redemption period
A window after deletion when only the previous registrant can restore the domain, for a fee.
At .site.ink: It lasts 30 days. Read more →
- Registrant
The person or organization a domain name is registered to.
At .site.ink: Registrants must keep their contact data accurate. Read more →
- Registrar
A company accredited by a registry to register and manage domain names for customers.
At .site.ink: Registrars set prices, take payment, and provide support. Read more →
- Registry
The organization that runs the database of all names in a namespace and sets its rules.
At .site.ink: The .site.ink registry does not sell names to the public; it works through registrars. Read more →
- Reseller
A business that sells domain names on behalf of a registrar.
At .site.ink: Resellers must work through an accredited registrar. Read more →
- Reserved name
A label a registry withholds from general registration.
At .site.ink: For technical, operational, or public-protection reasons. Read more →
- Second-level namespace
A namespace where a registry sells names under a second-level domain, such as co.uk or my.id.
At .site.ink: .site.ink is a namespace of this kind. Read more →
- Top-level domain (TLD)
The last label of a domain name, such as .com, .id, or .ink.
At .site.ink: site.ink is a domain in the .ink TLD. Read more →
- Transfer lock
A status that blocks a domain from moving to another registrar.
At .site.ink: New and newly transferred domains are locked for 60 days. Read more →
- WHOIS
A long-standing protocol and service for looking up who manages a domain.
At .site.ink: Available on port 43; personal data is redacted. Read more →