How Long Can a Hostname Be?

Chloe Bennett
Chloe Bennett
• • 7 min read

Each Element of the Hostname Must Be from 1 to 63 Characters Long and the Entire Hostname, Including the Dots, Can Be at Most 253 Characters Long. Valid...

How Long Can a Hostname Be?
Each element of the hostname must be from 1 to 63 characters long and the entire hostname, including the dots, can be at most 253 characters long. Valid characters for hostnames are ASCII(7) letters from a to z, the digits from 0 to 9, and the hyphen (-). A hostname may not start with a hyphen.

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Considering this, how long can a host name be?

The maximum length of the host name and of the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is 63 bytes per label and 255 bytes per FQDN. Note Windows does not permit computer names that exceed 15 characters, and you cannot specify a DNS host name that differs from the NETBIOS host name.

Additionally, can a hostname start with a number? For example, "en.wikipedia.org" is a hostname. The original specification of hostnames in RFC 952 mandated that labels could not start with a digit or with a hyphen-minus character and could not end with a hyphen-minus. However, a subsequent specification (RFC 1123) permitted hostname labels to start with digits.

Keeping this in view, is WWW a hostname?

A Hostname is the unique name given to a computer connected to the Internet. For example, the hostname for my website is The hostname is composed of two parts. The first part is the local name, which in this case is www.

What is a hostname or IP address?

You can find the hostname of any computer with a public IP address by passing the address to any Domain Name System (DNS) server. However, since the computers on a small business network have private IP addresses, you can only discover their hostnames if the network has a local DNS server.

Related Question Answers

What is an example of a host name?

Internet hostname examples
On the Internet, a hostname is a domain name assigned to a host computer. For example, if Computer Hope had two computers on its network named "bart" and "homer," the domain name "bart.computerhope.com" is connecting to the "bart" computer.

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What is a valid hostname?

Valid characters for hostnames are ASCII(7) letters from a to z, the digits from 0 to 9, and the hyphen (-). A hostname may not start with a hyphen. Hostnames are often used with network client and server programs, which must generally translate the name to an address for use.
Chloe Bennett

Chloe Bennett

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Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.