TLD vs gTLD vs ccTLD
TLD is the umbrella term. gTLDs are generic (.com, .app, .shop), ccTLDs are country-coded (.uk, .de, .fr). Different rules and registrars apply.
These three terms come up constantly when talking about domains. They all refer to the bit after the last dot, but they categorize TLDs differently.
TLD (Top-Level Domain)
TLD is the umbrella category. Any extension at the right of a domain name: .com, .uk, .app, .museum, .xyz. Currently there are ~1,500 of them. Most are unused or barely used. The interesting subset is in the hundreds.
gTLD (Generic TLD)
gTLDs are "generic" in the sense that they're not tied to a country. They're managed under contract with ICANN.
- Original 7 (pre-2000):
.com,.net,.org,.int,.edu,.gov,.mil. - 2000-2011 expansion:
.biz,.info,.name,.pro,.aero,.coop, etc. - New gTLDs (2012-): Hundreds.
.app,.dev,.shop,.tech,.online,.xyz,.store, ... down to weird ones like.ninja,.guru,.coffee.
A subset of gTLDs are "sponsored" (sTLDs): .museum, .aero, .travel. These have registration restrictions enforced by an industry sponsor.
ccTLD (Country-Code TLD)
ccTLDs are two-letter codes from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 list: .us, .uk, .de, .fr, .jp, .br, .au, ...
Each ccTLD is managed by an entity in the corresponding country, not by ICANN directly. Each has its own rules:
.de(Germany): no registration restrictions, run by DENIC..uk: no restrictions for.co.uk, run by Nominet..fr(France): requires EU presence, run by AFNIC..ca(Canada): requires Canadian presence, run by CIRA..cn(China): heavy ID verification required.
Some ccTLDs are repurposed for branding because the two-letter code happens to look meaningful: .io (British Indian Ocean Territory) for tech, .co (Colombia) as a .com alternative, .ai (Anguilla) for AI startups, .tv (Tuvalu) for video, .me (Montenegro) for personal sites.
Why the distinction matters
- Pricing. Most gTLDs are $5–$50/year wholesale. Branded ccTLDs (
.ai,.io) are more expensive..aihas surged from $80 to over $100/year wholesale recently. - Restrictions. Some ccTLDs require local presence or ID verification. A SaaS letting customers register domains needs to surface those restrictions upfront.
- Registrar coverage. Not every registrar sells every ccTLD. Some require a registrar with a local-presence partnership.
- Renewal cadence. Some ccTLDs are 1-year-only, some allow up to 10 years.
When building a domain-registration product, treat each TLD as a separate compliance and pricing problem, not just a string difference.