What does .net stand for?

The .net domain is derived from the word "network," as the .net suffix was intended for use by networking organizations, and primarily Internet services providers. Due to a lack of enforcement of those original guidelines, the .net domain is now in general use.

Many early .net sites were built as an alternative to the .com domain of the same name that had already been claimed; this prompted most businesses to purchase both domain names to avoid customer confusion. Domains such as .net are developed for a distributed naming system called the Domain Name System, which helps translate a website's domain name into the Internet Protocol address of the server that hosts the site.