History of the TLD

.pub is a generic top-level domain that was introduced through ICANN’s New gTLD Program and was delegated into the Domain Name System root zone in 2014. It was established to create a dedicated namespace for communities and businesses associated with pubs, publishing, public content, and related social or commercial activities. The sponsoring organisation for .pub is Dog Beach, LLC, administered via Identity Digital.

Main Use and Industry Position

.pub is positioned as a versatile generic TLD suitable for hospitality and social establishments such as pubs, bars, breweries, taverns, and related venues. It also serves publishing and media entities including blogs, magazines, authors, and other content creators seeking a memorable and relevant domain extension. The extension conveys a clear association with public houses and publications to visitors.

Comparison to Other TLDs

Compared to general extensions like .com, .net, or .org, .pub is niche and carries semantic value for specific industries. It offers clearer branding for hospitality and publishing sectors than generic alternatives. Relative to industry‑focused TLDs such as .beer or .bar, .pub provides broader applicability within both social venues and content publishing use cases.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

Pros

• Clearly communicates association with pubs, hospitality, or publishing

• Offers broad open registration to individuals and organisations

• Modern DNS features such as DNSSEC are supported

Cons

• Less widely recognised than legacy extensions such as .com

• Niche positioning may not suit all business types

• Pricing and availability may vary significantly by registrar
  
  

Registration Criteria

Registration for .pub domains is open to all individuals and organisations on a first‑come, first‑served basis with no specific eligibility restrictions. There is no requirement for trademark, geographic presence, or industry certification.

Summary

.pub is a generic top-level domain established in 2014 to support the hospitality and publishing sectors with a dedicated online identity. Managed by Dog Beach, LLC through Identity Digital, .pub domains are available for open registration and provide semantic relevance for pubs, bars, breweries, magazines, content platforms, and related use cases. It supports modern DNS capabilities while offering intuitive branding for targeted industries.