system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How i can actually buy and own a web domain permanently? 

When settuping a website i have to pay for 3 things: domain registration; domain rent (or something similar) and a hosting service. I understand why I have to pay a monthly hosting cost but not a domain cost, why cant i own it forever?
gpt
You can't own a web domain permanently because there's nothing to "own". Instead of thinking of it as "renting" your domain, think of it as paying someone for the service of listing it in a directory (which points "your" domain name to your web hosting service).

It would be infeasible for the service provider to allow for permanent registration as they would be agreeing to perform this service (giving everyone who asks "where does jakethesnake_.com go?" information about your hosting provider) forever.