{"id":8032,"date":"2012-11-29T14:38:13","date_gmt":"2012-11-29T14:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/generic-top-level-domain\/"},"modified":"2012-12-04T16:27:06","modified_gmt":"2012-12-04T16:27:06","slug":"generic-top-level-domain","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld","title":{"rendered":"Generic Top-Level Domain"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span id=\"what_does_generic_top-level_domain_mean\">What Does Generic Top-Level Domain Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is a top-level domain (TLD) category that is easily recognized by a suffix attached to a domain name. These are used by the Internet\u2019s Domain Name System (DNS), with oversight by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is now controlled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"techopedia_explains_generic_top-level_domain\">Techopedia Explains Generic Top-Level Domain<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Examples of of well-known gTLDs are com, org, info, net, and biz. Generic and restricted TLDs created during the early DNS days require proof of eligibility for domain name registration. These TLDs are gov, mil, int and edu. <\/p>\n<p>In 2012 ICANN implemented a gTLD expansion program, which launched many new gTLDs that have been perceived as an annoyance, rather than a way to open the Internet to new creative possibilities. New TLDs, like &quot;ninja&quot; and &quot;unicorn,&quot; are examples. Esther Dyson, an ICANN co-founder, stated that this expansion will create jobs for marketers and lawyers but serve minimal additional value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Does Generic Top-Level Domain Mean? A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is a top-level domain (TLD) category that is easily recognized by a suffix attached to a domain name. These are used by the Internet\u2019s Domain Name System (DNS), with oversight by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is now controlled by the Internet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7813,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"definitioncat":[238,245],"class_list":["post-8032","definition","type-definition","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","definitioncat-buzzwords-and-jargon","definitioncat-internet"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is a Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD)? - Definition from Techopedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This definition explains the meaning of Generic Top-Level Domain and why it matters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Generic Top-Level Domain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This definition explains the meaning of Generic Top-Level Domain and why it matters.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Techopedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techopedia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-12-04T16:27:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@techopedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Margaret Rouse\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f5dd538e31ee352d105b8af36c4268a5\"},\"headline\":\"Generic Top-Level Domain\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-11-29T14:38:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-12-04T16:27:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld\"},\"wordCount\":173,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld#respond\"]}],\"articleSection\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/15673\/generic-top-level-domain-gtld\",\"name\":\"What is a Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD)? 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