History of the Domain from 1972 to Present

History of the Domain

At the beginning of its development, the internet was only used as a means of communication by military groups. But over time, the general public began to need the internet. This was what later became the initiator of the formation of the IANA organization whose job was to regulate the domain naming system. But now, because the use of the internet is global, the authority to regulate the domain is given to ICANN. Let's discuss the complete history of the domain from its inception until now:

📅1972 – Birth of IANA

1972 was the beginning of the domain. The internet was originally intended only for military communication facilities known as ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency).

However, due to the demand for general internet use, the NSF (National Science Foundation) decided to form the IANA or Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

The establishment of IANA aims to standardize the naming system for computers connected to the network. This system is tasked with ensuring that all devices have a unique number called IP or Internet Protocol.

📅1983 – DNS development

In 1983, Paul Mockapetris developed DNS (Domain Name System) because the IP naming system was considered somewhat foreign by users. DNS is made so that the system for making host addresses in the network becomes simpler. With the development of DNS, internet users no longer need to remember and type in the IP address that is applied to each computer. 

📅1985 – First TLD User

In 1985, the TLD or generic Top Level Domain was introduced to the public. This TLD is the last part of a domain. At the beginning of its emergence, there were 6 TLDs available, namely:

1 .com: for commercial or business use
2 .org: used in non-profit organizations
3 .net:  used in organizations or companies engaged in the field of communication or network services (network)
4 .mil:  used in military organizations
5 .edu: used in educational institutions
6 .gov: used in government agencies   

Symbolics Inc. became the first computer manufacturer to register on domain.com. On March 15, 1985 the domain name symbolics.com was officially registered.

📅1995 – Domain Rental Pricing

The United States Federal Government wants to privatize the internet infrastructure, which is financed by the government for its development. In 1995, domain name registration was charged. The price set for domain registration is IDR 1.5 million for a period of 2 years. The government then appointed the NSF to take care of the issue of domain name registration fees.

📅1998 – Formation of ICANN

Initially, IANA was appointed by the United States government to play the role of coordinating the internet system. However, in 1998, Bill Clinton as US president urged the US Department of Commerce to create a private organization tasked with managing DNS because he saw the growing need for the internet globally.

The Ministry of Commerce responded to this request by issuing a proposal containing international DNS management that would be held officially by ICANN or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Although ICANN was appointed as the official manager, their performance is still monitored and controlled by the US government. This agreement is written and binding in the cooperation contract between the US Department of Commerce and ICANN.

📅2013 –  4 Letter Combination for .com Domain has expired

WhoApi, a startup tasked with analyzing domain data, reports that all four-letter combinations for domain.com have been registered. The total possible combinations of four letters to create a domain with the .com extension are 456,976.

📅2014 – New TLD release

History records that the result of the exhaustion of four letter domain combinations for domain.com was the release of a new TLD. In 2014, ICANN released hundreds of new TLDs ranging from .biz, .info, .music, and many more.

In 2014, some restrictions on the use of old TLDs began to be abolished. For example, initially .org registration was only for non-profit organizations, now it is allowed to be used by the public.

📅2016 – Termination of ICANN Contract

In 2016, the cooperative contact between the United States government and IVANN officially ended. And that means now ICANN is in full control to regulate DNS without any intervention by the US government again.

📅2022 – 341.7 Million Domains Officially Registered 

To date, there are 341.7 million registered domains out of all available TLDs. Fantastic number right?

ok, that's all for this article about the history of domain development. Hopefully this short article is useful. If anyone wants to ask or share, please write in the comments column below. That is all and thank you.