.DE Domain Syntax Rules Germany FAQ - How does the name of a .de domain have to built up? Are there any character strings that can't be registered?
- A valid domain must be comprised solely of the digits 0-9, the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet and the hyphen. The domain must contain at least one letter of the alphabet (otherwise there would be a risk of confusion with the purely numerical IP address). Hyphens are not permitted in first or last place, nor is it possible for both the third and fourth places to be hyphens at the same time (such as xn--.de). No distinction is made between capital and small letters (upper and lower case). The minimum length of a .de domain is three characters and the maximum length is 63 characters. If the domain includes letters from the Annex, the maximum length is determined by its ACE version.
* The endings of existing Top Level Domains (such as .com, .net or .org) cannot be registered nor can the abbreviated geographical designations used for road-vehicle number plates in Germany.
- Why are domains not registered if they have a hyphen in both the third and fourth positions?
- Under .de, it is not possible to register any domains that contain a sequence of characters that are used to identify an Internationalized Domain Name IDN. This affects all domains that have a hyphen in both their third and fourth position, such as xn--beispiel.de. Domains that have already been registered with hyphens in third and fourth position can continue to exist and their holders can continue to use them as they have done up until now.
- Why are domains not permitted if they are only made up of digits?
- Domains must contain at least one letter. The reason for this lies in the very nature of domains. The computers in the Internet do not recognize one another through domains but through so-called IP addresses, i.e. pure numbers. When you enter a domain in your browser, this is translated into the corresponding IP address by a so-called name server. There is, however, a risk that a domain made up only of digits might be confused with an IP number, which would cause technical difficulties. This might not be restricted to endangering the connectivity of your own website but could also impair other Internet users.
- Why is it not possible to register domains that are shorter than three characters?
- If domains with only two characters were registered, there would be a serious risk of confusion with the endings of the country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs), which are also comprised of two letters (such as .uk for the United Kingdom or .fr for France). Domains with the pattern TLD.TLD (such as uk.de) would also cause technical problems on account of a programming bug in a version of DNS Resolver software that is in widespread use. The errors that occur cause difficulties not only for the domain that triggers them but for other sites as well.
It is not enough simply to exclude existing ccTLDs from registration, because their number and composition are not entirely constant over time. Examples of changes are the ccTLD .dd, which was once earmarked for the former German Democratic Republic (which no longer exists), and the ccTLD .ps, which wasn't used in the past, but has now been introduced for Palestine. That explains why there is an absolute rule that no two-character domains may be registered under .de.
- Why is it not possible to register the geographic abbreviations used on German road-vehicle number plates as domains?
- Given the large number of .de domains that have been registered to date, the Registry wants to keep the option open of expanding its name space through the use of regional subdivisions. The geographic abbreviations used on road-vehicle number plates in Germany could well be suitable for use as Second Level Domains for this purpose. For example, anyone living in the district called Main-Taunus-Kreis would be able to register a domain under .mtk.de. To keep this option open, the Registry must make sure that all these domains (such as mtk.de) are kept free. At present, no decision has been taken as to whether such regionalized Second Level Domains will be introduced and when.
Source: www.denic.de/
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