{"id":19696,"date":"2018-08-15T13:30:06","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T18:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=19696"},"modified":"2019-06-05T13:03:01","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T18:03:01","slug":"fully-qualified-domain-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/fully-qualified-domain-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Fully Qualified Domain Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What Is A Fully Qualified Domain Name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the landscape of domain names, there\u2019s a lot going on. We have DNS records, top-level domains, second-level domains, sub-domains, and a lot more.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no shortage of confusing terminology that can trip up beginners. Luckily, you don\u2019t need to know all of this to <\/span>buy a domain name<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>set up a website<\/span><\/a>. But, still these terms come up and you want to know what they\u2019re all about.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One term you\u2019ll come across is Fully Qualified Domain Name<\/strong>, or FQDN. Below we\u2019ll highlight why knowing your FQDN is useful, what it can be used for, and some examples of what it looks like.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Is a Fully Qualified Domain Name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term Fully Qualified Domain Name is actually pretty literal. Essentially, it\u2019s the complete domain name of a computer, or host, on the Internet. It\u2019s composed of a few different elements. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how it breaks down:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[hostname].[domain].[tld]. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases a subdomain can also be included as well. Like any other domain name, we read it from right to left.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, here\u2019s how we break down the Fully Qualified Domain Name, <\/span>www.hostgator.com<\/span><\/a>.The first part (‘www’) is the host name. The second part ('\u02dchostgator\u2019<\/em>) is the domain name. The last part (‘com’<\/em>) is the TLD (top-level domain).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final element of a FQDN is the final period at the end. However, almost every browser doesn\u2019t require you enter this period and it\u2019s instead implied by the system. You can try adding a period yourself to the end of any domain, and you\u2019ll see that it doesn\u2019t alter the path of the domain in any way. Interesting, right?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can think of a Fully Qualified Domain Name as an address. The goal of this address is to designate the location within the DNS system. With a FQDN the location of a website, or other online entity has its own unique identifier and location.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we review a few more examples to help you better understand how a FQDN breaks down. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of a Fully Qualified Domain Name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A fully qualified domain name is always written in a specific format.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a Gmail user, then you\u2019ve no doubt seen this one, ‘mail.google.com’.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, how about this one, ‘en.wikipedia.org’<\/em>? In this case, the host name is '\u02dcen\u2019<\/em>, which specifies the English version of the host. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s funny, but most domain names aren\u2019t technically fully qualified. For example,  '\u02dcamazon.com\u2019<\/em> isn\u2019t technically fully qualified because we\u2019re not 100% sure of the host name, even though most browsers assume the host name is '\u02dcwww\u2019<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Are Fully Qualified Domain Names Used?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to make a website, computer, or any device accessible via an Internet network, then you\u2019re going to need an FQDN. However, you\u2019ll also need to interface with the DNS records, so the location of that device, or website, can be found.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FQDNs are one of the most essential components of how the Internet and domains are organized. For that reason they have a wide variety of applications, that extend beyond letting your website or device be available to the Internet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, beyond that one of the most common reasons you\u2019ll need to know your FQDN is for obtaining an SSL certificate<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, especially <\/span>with the recent Google shift<\/span><\/a>, an SSL certificate is becoming a necessity. To actually obtain an SSL certificate and secure your site you\u2019re going to need a Fully Qualified Domain Name. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if you\u2019re connecting to your host remotely, then you\u2019ll most likely need your FQDN to remotely connect. For example, if you\u2019re connecting over FTP then you\u2019ll need the FQDN or the IP address to access the server. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Find Your Fully Qualified Domain Name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Locating your FQDN address for your website is easy: just look at the address bar in your browser. You\u2019re probably amazed at the frequency you\u2019ve been interacting with Fully Qualified Domain Names, without even realizing it!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, beyond a website\u2019s domain, both your computer and server have their own unique FQDN as well. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how you locate your machine\u2019s FQDN:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n