A domain name is much more than storing an entry in a database. The root name servers are not cheap to operate. Domain names can also have glue records which mean more records in the root name server.
Also the more expensive a domain name is, the less spammy domains you see. If domains were $1 all the time, there would hardly be any domains left since everyone would register anything they can think of. Adding a price point reduces the number of unused domains.
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A domain name is much more than storing an entry in a database. The root name servers are not cheap to operate. Domain names can also have glue records which mean more records in the root name server.
Also the more expensive a domain name is, the less spammy domains you see. If domains were $1 all the time, there would hardly be any domains left since everyone would register anything they can think of. Adding a price point reduces the number of unused domains.
Now days, you also have to include a legal cost of operating a DNS registrar.