Username and domain glossary
The language behind name availability, explained without treating an uncertain signal as proof.
- Username
- A unique account identifier used for mentions, login, or a public profile URL.
- Handle
- The public @identifier used to find or mention an account on many social platforms.
- Display name
- The human-readable profile name that often does not need to be unique.
- Domain name
- A registered name in the Domain Name System, such as example.com.
- Top-level domain (TLD)
- The final label in a domain name, such as .com, .org, or .es.
- Brand-name consistency
- Using the same recognizable name across the channels that matter to an audience.
- Username squatting
- Holding a platform name primarily to prevent or profit from another person's use.
- RDAP
- The Registration Data Access Protocol used to query authoritative domain-registration data.