I visited the first .com domain registered in the world, and you won't believe what it offers today.

Starting in 2025, registering a domain can be done with just a few clicks, although it was not always so simple. Going back to March 1985, the first .com domain in history was registered: Symbolics.com. This date is especially significant as, at that time, the World Wide Web did not yet exist, and it would take six more years to appear, transforming the world forever. The registration of Symbolics.com is considered by many as the beginning of the domain era, a period that represented a radical change in business, commerce, and society in general.

This domain was registered by Symbolics Computer Corporation, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that specialized in the development of Lisp computers, which used the Lisp programming language. During that time, registering a domain was not an easy task. The Domain Name System (DNS) was in its early stages of development, and registration requests were processed manually by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). To obtain the domain, Symbolics had to submit a paper application via fax or mail, and then it became a waiting process until approval, which contrasts greatly with the easy and quick experience that users enjoy today on the web.

Since that first registration, the web has changed dramatically over the following 40 years. Today, the internet is a fundamental part of our lives, defining ways to access information, shop, communicate with friends and family, and, crucially, how we work. In recent years, we have witnessed the impact of inactivity in IT systems, and it is clear that reverting to old methods like paper and fax is not a viable option.

Since the registration of Symbolics.com, the total number of domains in the world has steadily grown. By the end of 2024, there were 364.3 million domains registered globally, according to data from DNIB. To put this in perspective, in 2014, the total was approximately 250 million. This growth has not been limited to business domains; today anyone can easily create a domain at an accessible cost. From micro businesses and blogs to professional portfolios and artistic sites, millions of people around the world have some type of website associated with a domain.

Today, a visit to Symbolics.com will take you to what can be considered a virtual museum. In 2009, Aron Meystedt, a startup investor and founder of Napkin.com, acquired the domain and has maintained the site since then, offering users a glimpse into historical events and milestones in the development of the web. Each year, the site attracts tens of thousands of curious visitors, including researchers like the author of this article. Additionally, the site offers an AI-powered domain name quality scoring tool, adding a modern and useful element for those looking to assess the strength and quality of a domain.