LearnPart 4 of 8
Registry, registrar and registrant: who does what
The registry runs an extension, like .com. The registrar is the company you register a domain through. The registrant is you, the person or business holding the domain. ICANN sets the rules for all three, and your DNS, web and email hosts do the rest.
In 30 seconds
- The registry runs an extension, like Verisign for .com. You rarely deal with it.
- The registrar is the company you buy and renew your domain from.
- The registrant is you, the person or business that holds the domain.
- Your website, email and DNS can each be with a different company, chosen by you.
Words with a dotted underline explain themselves: tap or hover them.
Everyone involved, on one page
| Role | Who | Does |
|---|---|---|
| ICANN | A global non-profit | Sets the rules for generic extensions and accredits registrars. |
| IANA | A function run by an ICANN affiliate | Keeps the root zone: the list of every extension and who runs it. |
| Registry | One per extension | Keeps the master list of names in its extension and runs its nameservers. |
| Registrar | The company you buy from | Registers, renews and transfers domains for you at the registry. |
| Reseller | Often a web host or agency | Sells domains using another registrar's accreditation. |
| Registrant | You | Holds the domain and decides what it is used for. |
| DNS host | Often the registrar, or anyone | Answers lookups for your domain from your DNS records. |
| Web host | Any hosting service | Runs the server your website lives on. |
| Email host | Any email provider | Runs the mail servers and mailboxes for your addresses. |
ICANN and IANA
ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) coordinates the naming system. For generic extensions it writes the policies: how long a transfer lock lasts, what happens after a domain expires, how disputes are settled. Every gTLD registry has a contract with ICANN, and every registrar selling gTLDs is accredited by it.
IANA (the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) keeps the root zone, the top of the DNS tree, which lists every extension and its nameservers. Copies of the root are served by root servers run by twelve independent organisations from more than a thousand sites around the world.
Country code extensions are different: each country decides who runs its code and on what rules, and ICANN's gTLD policies don't apply to them.
The registry
A registry runs one or more extensions. It keeps the authoritative list of every name registered in them, with each name's registrar, expiry date, status and nameservers, and it runs the servers that answer "who handles example.com?" for the whole internet.
| Extension | Registry |
|---|---|
| .com, .net | Verisign |
| .org | Public Interest Registry |
| .uk | Nominet |
| .de | DENIC |
| .nl | SIDN |
| .ca | CIRA |
| .eu | EURid |
Registries rarely deal with the public. They sell at wholesale to registrars, who handle customers. Look up who runs any popular extension in the list of domain extensions.
The registrar
A registrar is the company you register a domain through and pay each year. It sends your order to the registry over a protocol called , keeps your contact details, renews the domain, gives you the code to transfer it away, and usually offers DNS hosting too.
There are 3,326 ICANN accreditations, many held by the same groups. The list of domain registrars brings them together as 618 companies, including registrars that only sell country codes, with the extensions each one sells and whether it has an API.
Many people end up with domains at several registrars. Keeping them in one list, with every expiry date in one place, is what Lemon Domains is for.
Resellers
Plenty of companies that sell domains aren't registrars themselves. Web hosts, website builders and agencies often resell through a registrar's accreditation. You deal with the reseller, but the domain's public record names the registrar behind it, which is worth knowing when you transfer the domain or need support.
The registrant: you
The registrant is the person or organisation holding the domain. The registrant contact on file is the legal holder, so put the real owner there, not a web designer or an employee who might leave. Use an email address you will always read, ideally not one at the same domain: if the domain lapses, so does that inbox.
Since 2018 most registries and registrars hide personal contact details from the public record, and many registrars add a privacy service on top. The registrar still holds your details and can pass on messages.
DNS host, web host and email host
Once a domain is registered, three more jobs need doing. One company can do all three, or four different companies can share the work:
| Role | What it does | How the domain reaches it |
|---|---|---|
| DNS host | Stores your DNS records and answers lookups. | The nameservers set at your registrar. |
| Web host | Runs the website. | A, AAAA or CNAME records at your DNS host. |
| Email host | Receives, stores and sends your email. | MX records, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. |
Next: what happens when someone visits your domain, in how a domain becomes a website.
Finding out who's who for any domain
Every domain's registrar, registry, expiry date and nameservers are public, through a lookup protocol called (which replaced WHOIS for generic extensions). The free domain report shows them for any domain, along with who hosts its DNS, website and email.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a registry and a registrar?
The registry runs an extension, like Verisign for .com, and keeps the master list of names in it. The registrar is the company you register a domain through. It passes your order to the registry and looks after the domain for you.
Can I register a domain directly with the registry?
For generic extensions like .com, no: registries only accept registrations from accredited registrars. A few country code registries also sell directly to the public.
Who owns my domain, me or my registrar?
You, the registrant, hold the registration. The registrar manages it on your behalf, and you can move it to another registrar whenever you like, apart from a short lock after registration or a previous transfer.
Can my registrar and my web host be different companies?
Yes, and that is common. The registrar holds the registration, while your DNS records point your website at any web host and your email at any email provider.
What is ICANN?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a non-profit that coordinates the domain name system. It sets the rules for generic extensions, contracts with their registries and accredits the registrars that sell them.