.net
.net domain checker
Check a .net, with everything else in the same search.
Checked against the registry over RDAP, alongside every other ending and every social handle.
What .net is
One of the original generic endings, created for network infrastructure and unrestricted in practice for decades. Like .com, it is operated by Verisign and open to anyone.
Who it suits
Infrastructure, hosting, community projects and anything where the audience is technical enough not to blink at it. It carries a faint 1990s-internet association that some names wear well and others do not.
The catch
It is old enough to be as picked over as .com without being the ending anyone defaults to. A name whose .com is taken very often has the .net taken by the same owner. When you do find a free .net under a taken .com, ask who has the .com — inheriting confusion with an established site is worse than a slightly longer name.
Common questions
Is .net restricted to network companies?
No. That was the intent when it was created, but it has never been enforced. Anyone can register one for anything.
Is .net better than the newer endings?
It is more familiar, which cuts both ways: people recognize it instantly, and it dates you slightly. A newer ending that fits the name exactly often reads better than a .net that does not.
What if both the .com and .net are taken?
Treat that as a signal about the name rather than about the endings. Two of the oldest namespaces agreeing your name is spoken for usually means a trademark conversation is coming. Our guide on what to do when a name is taken covers the options.