Reserved Top Level Domain Names

The Internet Domain Name System (DNS) defines a tree of names starting with root, ".", immediately below which are top level domain (TLD) names such as ".com" and ".us". RFC2606 reserved a small number of TLD names for use in documentation examples, private testing, experiments, and other circumstances in which it is desirable to avoid conflict with current or future actual TLD names in the DNS. The evolution of Internet engineering and operation practices since RFC2606 was published in 1999, and the expected addition of new TLD names to the DNS, recommend this update to the list of reserved TLD names, and the creation of a "reserved TLD name registry" to which additional names may be added as new requirements arise. It is important to note that TLD names may be reserved, in other contexts, for policy, political, or other reasons that are distinct from the IETF's concern with Internet engineering and operations. This document reserves TLD names only for operational and engineering reasons.