Changes

The [[Domain Name System|domain name system]] allows users to refer to websites and other Internet resources using names rather than the all-numeric IP addresses assigned to each computer on the Internet. Each domain name consists of a series of character strings separated by dots. The right-most string is the '''top-level domain (TLD)'''. Every TLD is managed by a single registry.

The [[Domain Name System|domain name system]] allows users to refer to websites and other Internet resources using names rather than the all-numeric IP addresses assigned to each computer on the Internet. Each domain name consists of a series of character strings separated by dots. The right-most string is the '''top-level domain (TLD)'''. Every TLD is managed by a single registry.

A central part of [[IANA]]'s function is to establish baseline standards for eligible TLDs. These standards are largely unchanged since the inception of ICANN, and are based on Jon Postel's [[RFC 1591]].<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root IANA.org - Root Zone Management]</ref> A central value of the Internet, and organizations dedicated to its maintenance, is the stability and security of the root zone; as a result, the policies and principles memorialized in RFC 1591 are largely followed today.<ref>See, for example, the Internet Society's [https://www.internetsociety.org/ianatimeline/ IANA Timeline], covering the development of the RFC in 1994, and the subsequent "New Registries and the Delegation of International Top Level Domains," drafted by Postel in 1996.</ref><ref name="1591">[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1591 IETF.org - RFC 1591]</ref><ref name="iana01">[https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-postel-iana-itld-admin-01 IETF.org - IANA-ITLD-Admin-01]</ref>

A central part of [[IANA]]'s function is to establish baseline standards for eligible TLDs. These standards are largely unchanged since the inception of ICANN, and are based on Jon Postel's [[RFC 1591]].<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root IANA.org - Root Zone Management]</ref> A central value of the Internet, and organizations dedicated to its maintenance, is the stability and security of the root zone; as a result, the policies and principles memorialized in RFC 1591 are largely followed today.<ref>See, for example, the Internet Society's [https://www.internetsociety.org/ianatimeline/ IANA Timeline], covering the development of the RFC in 1994, and the subsequent "New Registries and the Delegation of International Top Level Domains," drafted by Postel in 1996.</ref><ref name="rfc1591">[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1591 IETF.org - RFC 1591]</ref><ref name="iana01">[https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-postel-iana-itld-admin-01 IETF.org - IANA-ITLD-Admin-01]</ref>

==TLD Growth - Overview from 1983 to 2021==

==TLD Growth - Overview from 1983 to 2021==