Did you know that even if you wanted to register example.com, you can’t? No one can. This isn’t a system bug—it’s the registry enforcing rules that intentionally block certain domains from being registered. These are called reserved domains.

When you search for a domain, the registrar (e.g., OpenSRS) queries the registry (e.g., Verisign for .com) in real-time to determine whether the domain is available. If it’s already registered, details like ownership and expiration may appear, giving you a possible path to contact the owner and negotiate a purchase (though there’s no guarantee they’ll agree to sell).

If no information appears, the system might return a simple “not found” message, suggesting it’s available. But here’s the catch: that same message can also appear for reserved domains. While they may look available, they’re actually blocked from registration altogether.

To make things trickier, registries handle reserved domains differently. Some omit them from search results entirely, while others allow them to appear available, only to reject the registration at checkout, usually without much explanation.

While these cases are rare, they can be frustrating. Understanding what reserved domains are and how they fit into the bigger picture of the Domain Name System (DNS) can help clear things up. At OpenSRS, we help resellers and developers navigate domain management at scale, including tricky rules like reserved domains, so you can avoid unnecessary confusion.

Why do reserved domains exist?

Reserved domains are domain names that have been set aside by official organizations, domain registries, or governments. They’re not available to the public, and that’s by design, not accident. There’s typically a specific reason for each reservation, guided by policies or industry standards. Some common ones are:

  • Technical standards and testing: Some domains are held for use in documentation, coding examples, or testing environments. These are essential for developers and educators who need realistic examples without accidentally routing internet traffic to unintended destinations.
  • Security and stability: Domains that could be sensitive, such as those related to Internet infrastructure, internal systems, or network configurations, are often reserved to avoid potential conflicts or security risks.
  • Policy decisions: Registries or governments may reserve names for future use, public service purposes, or to prevent disputes related to politics, culture, or trademarks. This is especially common in country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) or new generic top-level domains (gTLDs).

For example, when a new gTLD like .app or .bank is launched, the registry may reserve thousands of names, including common words, trademarks, or geographic names. This helps prevent potential abuse and allows for future release through trusted partnerships, eligibility programs, or controlled application processes.

Reserved domains you might encounter

What do reserved domains look like in practice? Here are a couple of recognizable examples:

  • example.com, example.net, and example.org – These individual domain names are reserved for use in educational materials, such as how-to guides, tutorials, and technical documentation. They prevent confusion by ensuring that any traffic to these domains doesn’t reach a real website or service, but instead lands on a controlled placeholder. 
  • Top-level reserved domains like .test, .invalid, .localhost, and .example – These entire TLDs (not just individual domains) are reserved by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standards and are explicitly blocked from ever resolving on the live internet. They’re used to safely simulate domain behavior or run test environments without risk.

Additionally, many domain registries maintain their own custom reserved lists. For instance:

  • For .ca (Canada’s ccTLD), names like gov.ca or parliament.ca are reserved for government use.
  • In .nyc, domain names representing city infrastructure or services, like police.nyc or subway.nyc, may be reserved for municipal use only.
  • Some gTLDs reserve terms like www, email, support, and admin to prevent confusion and misuse. These terms are widely associated with core services or subdomains, and reserving them helps maintain consistency, security, and technical stability.

From internal development tools to government protections, the range of reserved domains is broader than you might expect, and while some of them operate outside of the public DNS, they all play a role in keeping the domain ecosystem running smoothly.

Final thoughts

While it would feel pretty cool to own example.com, it’s for the best that it’s owned by no one. Reserved domains exist for good reason: they help keep the Internet safer, more predictable, and easier to develop on. By setting intentional boundaries, they prevent confusion, support testing, and make technical documentation clearer for everyone. Understanding these limitations highlights the deliberate architecture of the DNS and the broader infrastructure built upon it.

Whether you’re building a platform, supporting client websites, or managing domains at scale, OpenSRS offers the infrastructure and flexibility to help you grow with confidence.

And if you’re looking for a domain name for your brand or business, Hover makes it simple to register one that brings your idea to life.

No matter the scope, we provide the tools, support, and expertise to help you navigate the domain space with ease.