NL has been in existence for 40 years

This coming Saturday, April 25, is the big day: Our national internet domain, .nl, is celebrating its 40th anniversary! As a direct registrar of .nl domain names, we at MijnHostingPartner.nl look back with joy on the tremendous growth our digital landscape has undergone. We are therefore celebrating this anniversary together with Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland (SIDN), which is also marking a milestone with its 30th anniversary.

How it all began: Pioneering work in “plain text”

Did you know that the Netherlands was the very first country outside the United States to have its own country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)? On April 25, 1986, the application submitted by “godfather” Piet Beertema was approved. Beertema was working at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) at the time, which also explains why the very first .nl domain ever was cwi.nl.

In the early years, it was pure nostalgia and manual labor. Beertema recounts:

“I received a response much faster than expected. Not after several months, but after a few days. So I started with an extremely modern technology: my hand and plain text.”

Back then, every computer still had a unique 7-character name, but with 25,000 connected computers worldwide, that became unmanageable. Thanks to Beertema’s pioneering work and his practical “do-it-yourself kit” for European colleagues, many countries soon received their own domain extension.

The founding of SIDN and the path to 6 million

In the first ten years, Beertema managed all registrations himself (about 10,000 of them!). But as the internet grew explosively, the Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland (SIDN) was founded in 1996 by CWI, SURFnet, and NLnet.

Today, SIDN processes more than 4 billion search queries (resolving) every day. The real growth spurt, however, occurred in 2003. Until then, only companies listed in the commercial register were allowed to claim a .nl domain. Since this has also been possible for private individuals, the number of registrations has skyrocketed:

• 2003: 1 million domain names

• 2012: 5 million domain names

• Today: Over 6 million domain names!

This makes the .nl domain the 4th largest country-code domain worldwide.

Security and Trust

At MijnHostingPartner.nl, we place the highest priority on security. The .nl domain is one of the most secure extensions worldwide. This is thanks to the close collaboration between SIDN and registrars like us. Through technologies such as DNSSEC and DMARC, as well as the active fight against phishing and fake online stores, the .nl domain is a symbol of reliability for both businesses and individuals.

From a passion project to a global corporation

Whether you use a .nl domain for a professional online store, a company website, or simply a personal blog about your hobby or passion project: the .nl extension connects us all. It forms the stable foundation for entrepreneurship and digital services in the Netherlands.

The first 10 .nl domain names (a piece of history):

• cwi.nl (May 1, 1986)
• hse.nl (May 17, 1986)
• nlr.nl (June 5, 1986)
• hsa.nl (June 8, 1986)
• kub.nl (June 26, 1986)
• nih.nl (June 28, 1986)
• kun.nl (July 7, 1986)
• kvi.nl (July 12, 1986)
• hzeeland.nl (August 19, 1986)
• stc.nl (August 30, 1986)

Contest: Can you spot a .nl domain?

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, SIDN has launched a great contest you can enter! Do you see a .nl domain name out in the wild somewhere? For example, on a truck, a billboard, or at a sports field?

1. Take a photo of the domain name.

2. Share it on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or X).

3. Use the hashtag #spotpuntNL and tag SIDN.

You might just win one of the 40 .nl prize packages!

Want to learn more? Listen to the podcast!

Want to hear the whole story from Piet Beertema himself? Five years ago, SIDN produced a fascinating podcast series about the creation of .nl. A must-listen for every internet fan!

Listen to the podcast here: The History of .nl