.gb is a reserved
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
country code
A country code is a short alphanumeric identification code for countries and dependent areas. Its primary use is in data processing and communications. Several identification systems have been developed.
The term ''country code'' frequently re ...
top-level domain
A top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domain name, domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet after the root domain. The top-level domain names are installed in the DNS root zone, root zone of the nam ...
(
ccTLD) for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, derived from
Great Britain.
The domain was introduced with RFC 920 in October 1984 that set out the creation of ccTLD generally using country codes derived from the corresponding two-letter code in the
ISO 3166-1 list. However, the
.uk domain had been created separately a few months before the compilation of this list. Consequently, .gb was never widely used. It is no longer possible to register under this domain.
.gb was used for a number of years, mainly by British government organisations and commercial
e-mail
Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...
services using
X.400-based e-mail infrastructure. This simplified translating between DNS domains and X.400 addresses, which used "GB" as a country code.
With the demise of
X.400 e-mail and IANA's general aim of one TLD per country, use of .gb declined; the domain remains in existence, but it is not currently open to new domain registrations.
As of 2024, there are at least three subdomains resolving through
DNS (although none serve a website):
hermes.dra.hmg.gb,
delos.dra.hmg.gb, and
dfhnet.dra.hmg.gb. They were originally owned by the
Defence Research Agency, which became the
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1995 and was split into
QinetiQ and the
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in 2001; the websites became defunct some time thereafter.
, Central Digital and Data Office's (see
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...
) intention is to inform
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN ) is a global multistakeholder group and nonprofit organization headquartered in the United States responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several dat ...
early in 2023 that the UK wishes to retire .gb.
References
External links
IANA .gb whois informationJANET(UK) website
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120308201033/http://lists.gllug.org.uk/pipermail/gllug/2002-April/021662.html Official country code for Britain = GB or UK?Email discussion on GB domain (2002) with historical zonefiles.
Country code top-level domains
Domain names of the United Kingdom
Internet properties established in 1985
1985 establishments in the United Kingdom
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