What is .social?
.social entered the DNS root zone on January 14, 2014, 12 years ago. It came out of ICANN's New gTLD Program, the 2012 application round that grew the root from 22 generic TLDs to well over a thousand.
Dog Beach, LLC operates a large portfolio of 48 TLDs, including .actor, .airforce, .army, .attorney and .auction.
On the technical side, .social is served by 6 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .social, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over RDAP.
Same registry, other endings
47 other TLDs share this operator.
.social FAQ
What does .social mean?
.social is a generic top-level domain named for the word "social", and it's aimed at media, news & content. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .social used for?
.social is mostly used for media, news & content. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .social?
None. .social is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .social domain extension?
Dog Beach, LLC operates .social as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .social created?
.social was delegated to the DNS root zone on January 14, 2014.
Is .social a valid domain?
Yes. .social is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .social addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .social domain?
.social names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Dog Beach, LLC's policy if you're unsure.
Is .social DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .social.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 7, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
