History of the TLD

.pw is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to the Republic of Palau in 1997. Originally serving as a national domain, it was relaunched in 2013 and marketed globally as “the Professional Web” to support open registration worldwide. Its adoption as an open namespace extended its use beyond Palau’s local community to professionals and organisations seeking concise, memorable domain names.

Main Use and Industry Position

While .pw remains formally a country code TLD for Palau, it is widely used globally for professional identity online. It is adopted by individuals, businesses, and organisations across industries that want to establish a professional presence. The extension also supports alternative use cases such as public web projects and professional portfolios.

Comparison to Other TLDs

Compared to mainstream generic extensions like .com or .net, .pw offers greater availability for short or desired names due to lower saturation. Unlike typical ccTLDs limited to local use, .pw functions like a generic extension with unrestricted registration policies. Relative to specialised gTLDs such as .professional or .portfolio, .pw provides broad applicability for professional and general purposes.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

Pros

• Offers a professional-oriented and globally recognised namespace

• Broad open registration with no geographic eligibility limits

• Supports modern DNS features and flexible usage

Cons

• Some historical perception issues due to past spam-related abuse

• Less inherent brand recognition than legacy extensions

• Pricing and registrar availability vary globally
  
  

Registration Criteria

Registration for .pw domains is open to anyone worldwide with no residency, industry, or documentation requirements.

Summary

.pw is the country code top-level domain for the Republic of Palau established in 1997. Since 2013 it has been marketed globally as “the Professional Web” with open registration policies and broad applicability. The domain serves individuals and organisations seeking professional or distinctive online identities while maintaining its formal designation as Palau’s ccTLD.