Domain registry – the what’s and the whys?

The whole process begins with a re­gis­trant, i.e. the in­di­vidu­al, business, or­gan­iz­a­tion, etc., looking to establish a website and web presence. As a re­gis­trant, once you have decided what domain name you would like to have, you submit your ap­plic­a­tion to a so-called registrar. It is possible to undertake this process without going through a registrar but in this case you must then go through an or­gan­iz­a­tion that would still be utilizing a registrar’s reseller program. There is also a good bit more to a registrar than just the initial re­gis­tra­tion process, as they are also there to assist with things like renewal, transfer of a domain, the ter­min­a­tion of a re­gis­tra­tion, and generally all round domain re­gis­tra­tion info. In terms of managing the settings of their domain, this is also done through the registrar, who com­mu­nic­ates the in­form­a­tion to the registry, where it is updated and stored in the re­spect­ive database. The com­mu­nic­a­tion between registrar and registry also works both ways as the registry provides guidance to the middle man and grants them authority when it comes to things like adding, altering, or deleting in­form­a­tion.

Re­gis­trars are basically the middle man in this process, as they link the in­di­vidu­al or or­gan­iz­a­tion (the re­gis­trant) with the domain registry. In terms of choosing a registrar with whom to engage with there are quite a few choices out there. These re­gis­trars dif­fer­en­ti­ate from one another based on several criteria and what sort of domain registry services they provide. When deciding which registrar to go for you should consider the following criteria: price, duration of the re­gis­tra­tion, transfer policy, customer support, etc. One.com is an example of a registrar. They offer a range of packages, each with its own monthly sub­scrip­tion price. These packages cater for everything; from the most basic websites and blogs up to very large and complex web presences. Depending on what sort of domain you want, you pay a different price; e.g. a domain ending in .one is cheaper than a domain ending in.com.

Above the re­gis­trars then is the domain registry. This is an or­gan­iz­a­tion that is then in charge of the general ad­min­is­tra­tion of a top level domain. They make decisions regarding re­gis­tra­tions, settings, zone files, and provide re­gis­trants with all sorts of in­form­a­tion. Other re­spons­ib­il­it­ies include resolving disputes between different parties and also imposing what are called third-level domains, e.g. .co.uk. Some re­gis­tries are re­spons­ible for just a single top level domain; e.g. One.com, the registrar mentioned above, also operates as a registry for .one.

If the whole process can be viewed as a sort of ‘food chain’ then above the registry is the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), who allocate the authority for sets of domain names and oversee the overall structure of the online world.

At the end of the day, there are many layers to domain names and the ad­min­is­tra­tion and bur­eau­cracy involved and there are different bodies that then have re­spons­ib­il­ity for the various aspects. When it comes to the structure and systems within the ad­min­is­tra­tion of the world of domains then domain re­gis­tries are integral – they are the pillars that protect and support these systems. Anyone looking to establish an online presence not only needs to engage with these re­gis­tries but should also be very aware of what it is they do, and where they fit in the system. Domain re­gis­tries are un­doubtedly a very important cog in the huge machine that is the online world.