All websites are identified by a unique address, which tells the browsers (Chrome, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.) where they are located. This unique website address consists of mainly two parts, viz. the Domain name of the website folowed by the Top Level Domain (TLD), and sometimes, a sub-domain, which is a prefix to the Domain. A catchy domain name helps visitors recall your website more easily. Thus, selecting the right domain name is important to your website-building journey.

Popular TLDs for websites are “.com”, “.org”, “.net”, “.co”, “.xyz”, “.info”, etc.

Example:- The unique address of my website is “prabhanjan.panigrahi.in”, where “prabhanjan” is the sub-Domain, “panigrahi” is the domain, which is on the “.in” TLD. Similarly, “support.google.com” is a unique website address, where, “support” is the sub-Domain, “google” is the domain, which is on the “.com” TLD. Note that “panigrahi.in” and “google.com” are also websites.

Country Code Top-Level Domain:

A Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain (TLD) generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all two-letter top-level domains are ccTLDs.

The country code TLD for India is “.in”. Other popular TLDs for Indian websites are “.co.in”, “org.in”, “.net.in”. You can find more information on TLDs pertaining to India on the website of “.in Registry”.

Registry for .in Doamian:

Government of India has authorized NIXI as .IN Registry, since January 2005. Now .IN domain names are available to anyone on first-come-first-served basis. 

NIXI is a not for profit Organization under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, and was registered on 19th June, 2003. NIXI was set up for peering of ISP’s among themselves for the purpose of routing the domestic traffic within the country, instead of taking it all the way to US/Abroad, thereby resulting in better quality of service (reduced latency) and reduced bandwidth charges for ISP’s by saving on International Bandwidth. NIXI is managed and operated on a Neutral basis, in line with the best practices for such initiatives globally. Further details may be found on the website of “.in Registry”.

However, NIXI as such does not sell/register domains directly. The sell and registration of domain with all Indian TLDs are acrried through the NIXI accrediated registrars and resellers in open market.

Factors for consideration to select source to purchase any Doamin:

Following factors may be kept in mind for selecting the source of puchasing any domain:-

  • Price for registration – both for short term and long term.
  • Price for renewal (in case initial registration is done for short period).
  • Dashboard/Panel provided for DNS management (very important for website hosting).
  • Optionally, whether the source also provides Website Hosting (having both services from single souce makes many things easier).

Price Comparision for .in Domain:

Considering all other factors as almost similar, a pure price comparision among various seller/resellers both in India and in international market is given below.

Conclusion:

Renewal of Domains are usually done at a higher price than their purchase price. Transfer of Domain involves cumbersome process and may be risky, particulally for person without technical knowledge.

Thus, it is always advisable to go for a long term registration of the domain to get better deal (effective per year price). As per rule, a domain can be registered for maximum of 10 years at once. However, in case of limit in initial budget, you should go for at least five years. Afterall, a Website is not planned to be closed in few years.

Just for your information, I have purchased my domain from “Mitsu” for 10 years. Mitsu, being an accrediated registrar of NIXI for .in domain, will require KYC for effecting registration of Domain.