.test

Infobox Top level domain
name=.test
background=#6CC


introduced=1999
type=Reserved top-level domain
status=Reserved to prevent actual use
registry=IANA
sponsor=None
intendeduse=Addresses used in internal testing, designed to never match an address in actual use on the Internet
actualuse=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
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
document=RFC 2606
disputepolicy=None
website=None|

.test is a reserved top-level domain not intended for production use in the global Domain Name System (DNS). It was defined in June 1999 by RFC 2606, together 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.

Internationalization

The label "test" has also been used in a series of IDN TLDs created for use by ICANN in its [http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-19jun07.htm IDN .test Root-Zone Evaluation] initiated in October 2007. The domains used for this action are example.test translated and transliterated into: Arabic, Persian, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Russian, Hindi, Greek, Korean, Yiddish, Japanese and Tamil. The evaluation is supported by a suite of fully localized wikis and can be accessed through a single [http://idn.icann.org IDNwiki gateway] .

GTLD