Bangla Domain Names and Punycode: How .বাংলা Addresses Work

A domain written in Bangla letters is an internationalised domain name (IDN). The DNS that runs the internet stores only the letters a–z, digits and hyphens, so a Bangla name is converted to an ASCII form called Punycode, which always begins with xn--: ঢাকা.com is really xn--p5bz3fb.com. Bangladesh also has its own country ending in Bangla script, .বাংলা, stored as xn--54b7fta0cc.

How a Bangla domain works

When the DNS was designed, only English letters, digits and the hyphen were allowed in names. Rather than change every server on the internet, a translation layer was added: the IDNA standards (RFC 5890 and its companions) say how a name in any script is checked and normalised, and Punycode (RFC 3492) turns it into ASCII. The prefix xn-- marks a label that has been converted.

1. A visitor types ঢাকা.com into the browser.
2. The browser converts it to xn--p5bz3fb.com and looks that name up in the DNS, exactly as it would any other.
3. The server answers, and the browser shows the Bangla form in the address bar — when its rules allow (see below).

Every label is converted on its own, so a Bangla name on a Bangla ending, such as দোকান.বাংলা, becomes xn--p5b7ah1gxc.xn--54b7fta0cc. You can convert any name in either direction with our Punycode converter.

The .বাংলা country ending

.বাংলা is the internationalised country-code ending for Bangladesh. It went through ICANN's fast-track process for IDN country endings, was added to the root of the DNS in October 2016 (IANA's record for .বাংলা), and is run technically by Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL). Registrations are handled in Bangladesh, through the registry's own process.

Uptake has been small so far. Most Bangladeshi businesses use .com or .bd names in Latin letters, and that is worth knowing before you put a Bangla-only address on your sign.

Where Bangla domains still fall short

The browser may show xn-- instead of Bangla

Some letters in different scripts look alike, and attackers have registered look-alike names to imitate well-known sites (a "homograph" attack). To protect people, browsers show the Bangla form only when a name passes their safety rules — for example, when it does not mix scripts in a suspicious way. Otherwise they show the xn-- form, which looks strange to visitors.

Typing needs a Bangla keyboard — and the same spelling

Visitors need a Bangla keyboard to type the name, and Bangla offers more than one way to type some words. A visitor who types a different but valid-looking spelling reaches a different name, or none.

Email is not supported everywhere yet

Email to an address on a Bangla domain needs every system on the way — the sender's mail program, both mail servers, and the recipient's — to support internationalised email (often called EAI or SMTPUTF8). Support is growing but is not universal, so messages can be refused along the way. For business email, use an address on a Latin-letter domain.

Some tools and panels want the xn-- form

Older registrar forms, DNS panels and software may accept only the ASCII form. Convert the name with the Punycode converter and paste the xn-- version. SSL certificates are issued for the xn-- form too, and work normally.

Using a Bangla domain with your hosting

A Bangla domain is set up like any other, with one difference: wherever a form does not accept Bangla letters, you use its xn-- form.

1. Register the name, and set its nameservers to your host's, as for any domain — see how nameserver changes work.
2. Add it to your hosting as a website, or as a second name for an existing site, typing the xn-- form if the panel asks for plain letters.
3. Turn on HTTPS for it. The certificate is issued for the xn-- name, and browsers accept it for the Bangla one.
4. If it is a second name for your main site, redirect it permanently to the main address, so search engines see one site and not two copies.

Do Bangla domains help with search?

Search engines handle IDNs and can show them in results, but what decides your ranking for Bangla searches is Bangla content — pages that answer what people search for, in their language. A Latin-letter domain with good Bangla pages ranks for Bangla searches; a Bangla domain with thin content does not.

What we suggest

• Keep a short Latin-letter domain as your main address, for the website and for email — see how to choose a domain name.
• If a Bangla name suits your brand, register it as well and point it at your main site with a permanent redirect, so both reach you.
• Write your pages in Bangla where your customers read Bangla. That is what Bangla visitors and search engines respond to.
• Check any internationalised name with the Punycode converter, and look up the xn-- form with a WHOIS lookup before you register.

The endings Hostular sells, with both their prices, are on the domains page.