RFC2606: Reserved Top Level DNS Names (RFC); draft-ellermann-idnabis-test-tlds-04: Reserved Top Level DNS Names (Internet-Draft, 2008)
Posted by jpluimers on 2022/01/20
Note
Though there are .example.edu and .example.info, though used in documentation and registered by IANA, have a status is different from the official Reserved Top Level DNS Names:
This is not exactly the same situation as for say ".example.org", where IANA is the registrant *and* registrar.
Wikipedia links:
-
- .example – Wikipedia
- .invalid – Wikipedia
- .local – Wikipedia
- .localhost – Wikipedia
- .test – Wikipedia
- localhost – Wikipedia
- Email address: Reserved domains – Wikipedia
Of note for e-mail are
example,invalid,example.com,example.net, andexample.org. - Example.com – Wikipedia (which puts
example.eduon the same level asexample.com,example.netandexample.org; this is not true, despite the domain being registered by the IANA, the IANA is not the registrar of the.edudomain) - Top-level domain: Reserved domains – Wikipedia
Reserved by RFC 2606 and explained further in RFC 6761:
- .test
- .example
- .invalid
- .localhost
Reserved by RFC 6762: .local
Reserved by RFC 7686: .onion
Reservation proposal by Internet-Draft draft-wkumari-dnsop-internal-00: .internal
On Reserved Top Level DNS Names
These lists all reserved and special domain names:
From [Wayback] RFC2606: Reserved Top Level DNS Names (RFC):
2. TLDs for Testing, & Documentation Examples ... four domain names are reserved as listed and described below. .test .example .invalid .localhost ".test" is recommended for use in testing of current or new DNS related code. ".example" is recommended for use in documentation or as examples. ".invalid" is intended for use in online construction of domain names that are sure to be invalid and which it is obvious at a glance are invalid. The ".localhost" TLD has traditionally been statically defined in host DNS implementations as having an A record pointing to the loop back IP address and is reserved for such use. Any other use would conflict with widely deployed code which assumes this use. 3. Reserved Example Second Level Domain Names The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) also currently has the following second level domain names reserved which can be used as examples. example.com example.net example.org ...
From [Wayback] RFC6761: Special-Use Domain Names (RFC):
... This document describes what it means to say that a Domain Name (DNS name) is reserved for special use, when reserving such a name is appropriate, and the procedure for doing so. It establishes an IANA registry for such domain names, and seeds it with entries for some of the already established special domain names. ...
From [Wayback] RFC6762: Multicast DNS (RFC):
... this document allows any computer user to elect to give their computers link-local Multicast DNS host names of the form: "single-dns-label.local.". For example, a laptop computer may answer to the name "MyComputer.local.". Any computer user is granted the authority to name their computer this way, provided that the chosen host name is not already in use on that link. ...
From [Wayback] RFC7686: The “.onion” Special-Use Domain Name (RFC)
... The Tor network is designed to not be subject to any central controlling authorities with regards to routing and service publication, so .onion names cannot be registered, assigned, transferred or revoked. "Ownership" of a .onion name is derived solely from control of a public/private key pair that corresponds to the algorithmic derivation of the name. ...
From [Wayback] draft-ellermann-idnabis-test-tlds-04: Reserved Top Level DNS Names (Internet-Draft, 2008):
Appendix A. Educational Info This informative appendix tries to answer three frequently asked questions: 1. As of 2008 IANA is the registrant of ".example.edu"; TLD ".edu" has no contract with ICANN; its administration is based on a five years contract with the US DoC renewed in 2006; see <http://net.educause.edu/edudomain/policy.asp>. Under amendment 6 of their current policy generic names cannot be registered. This is not exactly the same situation as for say ".example.org", where IANA is the registrant *and* registrar. 2. As of 2008 IANA is the registrant of ".example.info"; TLD ".info" was created by ICANN in 2001. The ".info" registry agreement lists reserved DNS labels including "example"; see <http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/info/> appendix 6 (2006) and K (2001), respectively. This is not exactly the same situation as for say ".example.org", where IANA is the registrant *and* registrar. 3. Ignoring [RFC2965] the TLD ".local" issue was discussed in a bunch of Internet-Drafts related to AS112, zeroconf, and [RFC3927]. Presumably TLD ".local" should be registered as reserved for technical reasons, but deserves its own document with the fine print.
From [Wayback] draft-wkumari-dnsop-internal-00: The .internal TLD. (Internet-Draft, 2017):
... It has become clear that many users would like to use the DNS resolution system for names which do not have meaning in the global context but do have meaning in a context internal to their network. This document reserves the string ".internal" for this purpose. ...
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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