Editing Domain Name System (section)

==Domain name registration==
The right to use a domain name is delegated by [[Domain name registrar|domain name registrars]] which are accredited by the [[Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers]] (ICANN) or other organizations such as [[OpenNIC]], that are charged with overseeing the name and number systems of the Internet. In addition to ICANN, each top-level domain (TLD) is maintained and serviced technically by an administrative organization, operating a registry. A ''registry'' is responsible for operating the database of names within its authoritative zone, although the term is most often used for TLDs.  A ''registrant'' is a person or organization who asked for domain registration.<ref name="rfc7719"/>  The registry receives registration information from each domain name ''registrar'', which is authorized (accredited) to assign names in the corresponding zone and publishes the information using the [[WHOIS]] protocol.  As of 2015, usage of [[Registration Data Access Protocol|RDAP]] is being considered.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-12-03-en |title=Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) Operational Profile for gTLD Registries and Registrars |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=3 December 2015 |publisher=[[ICANN]] |access-date=18 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222144443/https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-12-03-en |archive-date=22 December 2015 }}</ref>

ICANN publishes the complete list of TLDs, TLD registries, and domain name registrars. Registrant information associated with domain names is maintained in an online database accessible with the WHOIS service. For most of the more than 290 [[country code top-level domain]]s (ccTLDs), the domain registries maintain the WHOIS (Registrant, name servers, expiration dates, etc.) information. For instance, [[DENIC]], Germany NIC, holds the DE domain data. From about 2001, most [[Generic top-level domain]] (gTLD) registries have adopted this so-called ''thick'' registry approach, i.e. keeping the WHOIS data in central registries instead of registrar databases.

For top-level domains on COM and NET, a ''thin'' registry model is used. The domain registry (e.g., [[GoDaddy]], [[Directi|BigRock and PDR]], [[VeriSign]], etc., etc.) holds basic WHOIS data (i.e., registrar and name servers, etc.). Organizations, or registrants using ORG on the other hand, are on the [[Public Interest Registry]] exclusively.

Some domain name registries, often called ''network information centers'' (NIC), also function as registrars to end-users, in addition to providing access to the WHOIS datasets. The top-level domain registries, such as for the domains COM, NET, and ORG use a registry-registrar model consisting of many domain name registrars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verisign.com/en_US/domain-names/domain-registrar/index.xhtml|title=Find a Registrar|publisher=VeriSign, Inc.|access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref> In this method of management, the registry only manages the domain name database and the relationship with the registrars. The ''registrants'' (users of a domain name) are customers of the registrar, in some cases through additional subcontracting of resellers.