From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
.test
 |
| Introduced |
1999 |
| TLD type |
Reserved top-level domain |
| Status |
Reserved to prevent actual use |
| Registry |
IANA |
| Sponsoring organization |
None |
| Intended use |
Addresses used in internal testing, designed to never match an address in actual use on the Internet |
| Actual use |
Sometimes used in intended manner, though programmers haven't always read the applicable RFC so they sometimes use different (non-reserved) names instead, which can end up being somebody's real address |
| Registration restrictions |
No registrations are possible, as this domain is not in the root |
| Structure |
Those using it for testing can use it in any desired structure; it doesn't really exist |
| Documents |
RFC 2606 |
| Dispute policies |
None |
| Web site |
None |
.test is a reserved top-level domain not intended for real use in the global DNS. It was defined in June 1999 by RFC 2606, along with .invalid, .localhost, and .example. The TLD was created to provide an address space for private testing (e.g. of code) and for experimentation in areas related to DNS, such that conflict with global DNS can be avoided.
