How can I create A domain that isn't a TLD without selfhosting? (if possible)

[Minibite]

So I've recently been looking at registering a domain for my personal site, up until now i've only had a neocities domain. I kinda want the domain mini.bite, but .bite Isn't a top level domain, so none of the domain registers I've looked at have it. Is there a way I could create a .bite domain, preferably without selfhosting?

[mrparker]

The only organization that can grant gTLDs (specifically the part after the . in a domain name - .com, .net. etc) is ICANN - and the process takes a lot of time, and money.

You have to apply to be an owner of a gTLD (global Top Level Domain) - and if accepted, you have to manage it and handle everything yourself.

This is only typically done by large companies or enterprises, because the cost (as of writing) to even apply to have a gTLD costs 227,000 US Dollars - definitely not in the budget of most individuals!

The pricing is definitely intentional - ICANN doesn't want to pollute the gTLD namespace with tons of names. The original intent to limit gTLDs to what they were before was largely to help prevent abuse and confusion.

I understand your interest, so if you want to learn more - a great place to start is here:

https://newgtldprogram.icann.org/en

However, somewhat unrelated to the original question - it is more realistic and obtainable for people to get IP space and own that, than it is to do this. That depends on your country, for most of North America, that org responsible is ARINN, for Europe it is RIPENC, and for Asia it is APNIC. For all other regions, check here:

https://www.nro.net/

Obtaining a ASN is the first step, usually for not too much money. Second is applying to obtain IPv6 addresses (which is usually free - including to obtain), and maybe leasing some IPv4 to start (purchasing a block of IPv4 is expensive, usually in the thousands of dollars minimum).

[pepper]

mrparker detailed it really well but yea unfortunately it is an extremely difficult process to create a new gTLD. There is non-profit that has a kickstarter for a ".meow" TLD (disclaimer I am a backer for that kickstarter!). Here's the process for applying for a new TLD that they laid out on their site if you're curious: https://www.dotmeow.org/en/how/

Even with something like this, that has secured the application fee and has lawyers and a solid plan and everything, there is still a decent chance the application will be rejected by ICANN!

That said, I think having your own domain is awesome and I'm very happy with my own mildlypepper.net domain. It gives some level of legitimacy to my site and also lets me use the domain for email. Also if I ever want to move from my webhost to another one I don't need to change my address, I just pack up, host elsewhere, and adjust my DNS settings on my registrar. So, even though you won't be able to use mini.bite, you should definitely (imo) still look into your own domain name using the existing options of gTLDs!