.gc.ca domains list

What is .gc.ca TLD

.gc.ca is not a standalone top‑level domain; it is a restricted second‑level namespace within Canada’s .ca ccTLD dedicated to federal institutions. In practice, it functions as a cohesive government web space, where departments, agencies, and services publish authoritative resources. .gc.ca domains anchor official identity, while .gc.ca websites typically deliver bilingual (English/French) content, transactional services, and policy information. From an infrastructure perspective, we see consistent use of HTTPS, HSTS, and CDN acceleration, alongside conservative DNS change patterns reflecting compliance workflows. Our indexing highlights recurring naming conventions and service subdomains that aid discoverability and trust. We track hosting geography, DNSSEC status, and certificate lifecycles to map operational posture. Explore webatla’s .gc.ca datasets.

History and key features of .gc.ca TLD

The .gc.ca space emerged as federal entities standardized under .ca, with eligibility restricted to Government of Canada bodies. Over time, legacy departmental sites coexisted with consolidation efforts around canada.ca, so .gc.ca domains and .gc.ca websites remain prevalent for specialized programs, archives, and bilingual service endpoints. Key features include centralized naming policies, accessibility and language obligations, conservative redirect strategies, and progressive adoption of DNSSEC and modern TLS suites. We observe regular certificate renewals on predictable cycles, low TTLs on high‑traffic services, and prevalence of subdomain segmentation for APIs, authentication, and analytics. These traits create a stable yet adaptable namespace that preserves institutional continuity while enabling platform modernization. Review longitudinal changes, retirements, and pivots across decades. Dive into webatla’s .gc.ca domain datasets.

Why and who choose the .gc.ca domain

Use of .gc.ca is limited to federal departments, agencies, and certain Crown corporations, excluding provincial, territorial, municipal, or private entities. Organizations choose .gc.ca domains to signal legal authority, align with procurement and security policies, and meet bilingual and accessibility requirements. For public‑facing .gc.ca websites, the namespace supports stable addressing, trust cues in search results, and consistent analytics governance across portfolios. We also see adoption for identity providers, open‑data portals, and transactional gateways where domain provenance matters for fraud reduction and user confidence. Our datasets reveal hosting concentration among Canadian and allied jurisdictions, measured uptime targets, and phased decommissioning patterns as services move under canada.ca. Assess eligibility, risk posture, and discoverability before planning migrations or consolidations. Analyze .gc.ca domain datasets with webatla.