Domain name registry
Encyclopedia
A domain name registry is a database of all domain names registered in a top-level domain. A registry operator, also called a network information center (NIC), is the part of the Domain Name System
(DNS) of the Internet
that keeps the database of domain names, and generates the zone files which convert domain names to IP address
es. Each NIC is an organisation that manages the registration of Domain names within the top-level domain
s for which it is responsible, controls the policies of domain name allocation, and technically operates its top-level domain. It is potentially distinct from a domain name registrar
.
Domain names are managed under a hierarchy headed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
(IANA), which manages the top of the DNS tree by administrating the data in the root nameserver
s.
IANA also operates the .int
registry for intergovernmental organisations, the .arpa
zone for protocol administration purposes, and other critical zones such as root-servers.net.
IANA delegates all other domain name authority to other domain name registries such as Afilias
and VeriSign
.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD) are delegated by IANA to national registries such as DENIC
in Germany
and Nominet in the United Kingdom
.
). Others operate as commercial organizations, such as the US registry (nic.us).
The allocated and assigned domain names are made available by registries by use of the WHOIS
system and via their Domain name servers.
Some registries sell the names directly (like SWITCH
in Switzerland
) and others rely on separate entities to sell them. For example, names in the .com
TLD are in some sense sold "wholesale" at a regulated price by VeriSign
, and individual domain name registrar
sell names "retail" to businesses and consumers.
For example, in the United States, between 1996 and 1998, InterNIC
automatically rejected domain name applications based on a list of perceived obscenities.
Registries may also control matters of interest to their local communities: for example, the German, Japanese and Polish registries have introduced internationalized domain names to allow use of local non-ASCII characters.
registrars, generally have to use the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), however, Germany's DENIC
requires people to use the German civil courts, and Nominet UK
deals with Intellectual Property
and other disputes through its own dispute resolution service.
DENIC, the registry for Germany
(.de
), does not impose third level domains. AFNIC, the registry for France
(.fr
), has some third level domains, but not all registrants have to use them, and Nominet UK, the registry for the United Kingdom
(.uk
), requires all names to have a third level domain (e.g. .co.uk or .org.uk).
Many ccTLDs have moved from compulsory third or fourth-level domain to the availability of registrations of second level domains. Among them are .us
(April 2002), .mx
(May 2009), and .co
(March 2010).
and not by GPTC, the registry for Libya
(.ly).
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
(DNS) of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
that keeps the database of domain names, and generates the zone files which convert domain names to IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
es. Each NIC is an organisation that manages the registration of Domain names within the top-level domain
Top-level domain
A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
s for which it is responsible, controls the policies of domain name allocation, and technically operates its top-level domain. It is potentially distinct from a domain name registrar
Domain name registrar
A domain name registrar is an organization or commercial entity, accredited by both ICANN and generic top-level domain registry to sell gTLDs and/or by a country code top-level domain registry to sell ccTLDs; to manage the reservation of Internet domain names in accordance with the guidelines of...
.
Domain names are managed under a hierarchy headed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority is the entity that oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System , media types, and other Internet Protocol-related symbols and numbers...
(IANA), which manages the top of the DNS tree by administrating the data in the root nameserver
Root nameserver
A root name server is a name server for the Domain Name System's root zone. It directly answers requests for records in the root zone and answers other requests returning a list of the designated authoritative name servers for the appropriate top-level domain...
s.
IANA also operates the .int
.int
The domain name int is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the word international, characterizing its use for world-wide purposes....
registry for intergovernmental organisations, the .arpa
.arpa
The domain name arpa is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is used exclusively for technical infrastructure purposes...
zone for protocol administration purposes, and other critical zones such as root-servers.net.
IANA delegates all other domain name authority to other domain name registries such as Afilias
Afilias
Afilias Limited is the registry operator of the .info and .mobi Top-level domain, and the service provider of the .org generic top-level domain , .asia TLD catering to the Asia, Australia, and Pacific regions, .aero Airline and Aviation Industry TLD, and a provider of domain name registry services...
and VeriSign
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD) are delegated by IANA to national registries such as DENIC
DENIC
DENIC Verwaltungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft eG is the manager of the .de domain, the country-code top-level domain for Germany.In 2005, it was one of five bidders seeking to win contract to operate the .net contract offered by ICANN.- Etymology :...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Nominet in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Operation
Some name registries are government departments (e.g., the registry for Sri Lanka nic.lk). Some are co-operatives of Internet service providers (such as DENIC) or not-for profit companies (such as Nominet UKNominet UK
Nominet UK is the .uk domain name registry in the United Kingdom, which was founded by Dr Willie Black and five others on 14 May 1996 when its predecessor, the 'Naming Committee' was unable to deal with the volume of registrations then being sought under the .uk domain. Nominet is a non-profit...
). Others operate as commercial organizations, such as the US registry (nic.us).
The allocated and assigned domain names are made available by registries by use of the WHOIS
WHOIS
WHOIS is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system, but is also used for a wider range of other information. The protocol stores...
system and via their Domain name servers.
Some registries sell the names directly (like SWITCH
SWITCH Information Technology Services
SWITCH is the manager of the .ch and .li country-code top-level domains for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, respectively. It also manages the educational networks among Swiss universities, and the links to other university networks. It also mirrors open source software .- External links :**...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) and others rely on separate entities to sell them. For example, names in the .com
.com
The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...
TLD are in some sense sold "wholesale" at a regulated price by VeriSign
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
, and individual domain name registrar
Domain name registrar
A domain name registrar is an organization or commercial entity, accredited by both ICANN and generic top-level domain registry to sell gTLDs and/or by a country code top-level domain registry to sell ccTLDs; to manage the reservation of Internet domain names in accordance with the guidelines of...
sell names "retail" to businesses and consumers.
Allocation policies
Historically, domain name registries operated on a first-come-first-served system of allocation but may reject the allocation of specific domains on the basis of political, religious, historical, legal or cultural reasons.For example, in the United States, between 1996 and 1998, InterNIC
InterNIC
The Internet Network Information Center, known as InterNIC, was the Internet governing body primarily responsible for domain name and IP address allocations from 1972 until September 18, 1998 when this role was assumed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers...
automatically rejected domain name applications based on a list of perceived obscenities.
Registries may also control matters of interest to their local communities: for example, the German, Japanese and Polish registries have introduced internationalized domain names to allow use of local non-ASCII characters.
Dispute policies
Domains which are registered with ICANNICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, United States, that was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed directly...
registrars, generally have to use the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), however, Germany's DENIC
DENIC
DENIC Verwaltungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft eG is the manager of the .de domain, the country-code top-level domain for Germany.In 2005, it was one of five bidders seeking to win contract to operate the .net contract offered by ICANN.- Etymology :...
requires people to use the German civil courts, and Nominet UK
Nominet UK
Nominet UK is the .uk domain name registry in the United Kingdom, which was founded by Dr Willie Black and five others on 14 May 1996 when its predecessor, the 'Naming Committee' was unable to deal with the volume of registrations then being sought under the .uk domain. Nominet is a non-profit...
deals with Intellectual Property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
and other disputes through its own dispute resolution service.
Prices of registration
A basic search engine query on the term "domain registration" reveals that prices for domain registration vary widely between each registry.Third-level domains
Domain name registries may also impose a system of third-level domains on users.DENIC, the registry for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(.de
.de
.de is the country code top-level domain for the Federal Republic of Germany. DENIC does not require specific second-level domains, as it is the case with the .uk domain range which require .co.uk domain for example.The name is based on the first two letters of the German name for Germany...
), does not impose third level domains. AFNIC, the registry for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(.fr
.fr
.fr is the country code top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet for France. Along with .re and .tf, it is administered by AFNIC.The .fr top-level domain is divided into a number of second-level domains:...
), has some third level domains, but not all registrants have to use them, and Nominet UK, the registry for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(.uk
.uk
.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain for the United Kingdom. , it is the fourth most popular top-level domain worldwide , with over 9.5 million registrations....
), requires all names to have a third level domain (e.g. .co.uk or .org.uk).
Many ccTLDs have moved from compulsory third or fourth-level domain to the availability of registrations of second level domains. Among them are .us
.us
.us is the Internet country code top-level domain for the United States and was established in 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be United States citizens, residents, or organizations, or a foreign entity with a presence in the United States...
(April 2002), .mx
.mx
.mx is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mexico, which recently has been re-opened to new registrations by NIC México. In 2009, The .mx ccTLD will be rolled out in 3 steps:...
(May 2009), and .co
.co
.co is the country code top-level domain assigned to the Republic of Colombia. It is administered by .CO Internet S.A.S., a strategic venture formed between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc...
(March 2010).
Domain Sub-Registration
Registrants of second-level domains sometimes act as a registry by offering sub-registrations to their registration. For example, registrations to .fami.ly are offered by the registrant of fami.lyDomain hack
A domain hack is an unconventional domain name that combines domain levels, especially the top-level domain , to spell out the full "name" or title of the domain. Examples include del.icio.us , goo.gl and fold.it...
and not by GPTC, the registry for Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(.ly).
See also
- Domain name registrarDomain name registrarA domain name registrar is an organization or commercial entity, accredited by both ICANN and generic top-level domain registry to sell gTLDs and/or by a country code top-level domain registry to sell ccTLDs; to manage the reservation of Internet domain names in accordance with the guidelines of...
- Drop registrarDrop registrarA drop registrar is a domain name registrar who registers expiring Internet domain names immediately after they expire and are deleted by the domain name registry. A drop registrar will typically use automated software to send up to 250 simultaneous domain name registration requests in an attempt...
- Independent Domain Registrars
- List of Internet top-level domains
- List of top ranking domain registrars