Editing Domain name registry

{{Short description|Database of domain names and associated registrant information}}
{{redirect|Network information center|the organization|InterNIC}}
A '''domain name registry''' is a database of all [[Domain name|domain names]] and the associated registrant information in the top level domains of the [[Domain Name System]] (DNS) of the Internet that enables third party entities to request administrative control of a domain name. Most registries operate on the top-level and second-level of the DNS.

A '''registry operator''', sometimes called a '''network information center''' ('''NIC'''), maintains all administrative data of the domain and generates a zone file which contains the addresses of the nameservers for each domain. Each registry is an organization that manages the registration of domain names within the domains for which it is responsible, controls the policies of domain name allocation, and technically operates its domain. It may also fulfill the function of a [[domain name registrar]], or may delegate that function to other entities.<ref>{{cite web | title = ICann.org Glossary | url = http://www.icann.org/en/general/glossary.htm | access-date = 2009-04-21}}</ref>

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|int]] registry for intergovernmental organizations, the [[.arpa|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 and a full list is available on their web site.<ref>{{cite web | title = IANA — Root Zone Database | url = https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db | access-date = 2019-12-04}}</ref> [[Country code top-level domain]]s (ccTLD) are delegated by IANA to national registries such as [[DENIC]] in Germany and [[Nominet]] in the United Kingdom.

== Operation ==
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Some name registries are government departments (e.g., the registry for India ''gov.in''). Some are co-operatives of Internet service providers (such as [[DENIC]]) or not-for profit companies (such as [[Nominet UK]]). 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]] or its successor [[Registration Data Access Protocol]] and via their [[domain name server]]s.

Some registries sell the names directly, and others rely on separate entities to sell them. For example, names in the [[.com]] top-level domains are in some sense sold "wholesale" at a regulated price by [[VeriSign]], and individual [[domain name registrar]]s sell names "retail" to businesses and consumers.

== Policies ==
=== Allocation policies ===
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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]] automatically rejected domain name applications based on a list of perceived obscenities<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=NSI lets a bad word slip |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/nsi-lets-a-bad-word-slip/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> and sanctioned hate-based domains.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=InterNIC sanctions hate-based domain names from J H K on 1997-02-25 (www-talk@w3.org from January to February 1997) |url=https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-talk/1997JanFeb/0127.html |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=lists.w3.org}}</ref> However, enforcement was not always consistent.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 2017, a request to register the domain fucknazis.com was first granted and then denied.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Cyberlaw Clinic Helps Eliminate “Seven Words” Policy for Registration of .US Domain Names |url=https://clinic.cyber.harvard.edu/2018/09/12/cyberlaw-clinic-helps-eliminate-seven-words-policy-for-registration-of-us-domain-names/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=clinic.cyber.harvard.edu}}</ref> A challenge to this ruling resulted in elimination of the  “[[seven dirty words]]” policy for registration of US Domain Names based on [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|first amendment]] grounds.<ref name=":2" />  

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 that are registered with [[ICANN]] registrars, generally have to use the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ([[UDRP]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/help/dndr/udrp-en|title=Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy – ICANN|website=icann.org|access-date=2020-02-19}}</ref> 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.

== Third-level domains ==
Domain name registries may also impose a system of [[third-level domain]]s on users.
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.

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),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nic.mx/es/Noticias_2?NEWS=313|title=NIC México anuncia las etapas de la reapertura de dominios directamente bajo.MX.|date=2009-02-10|publisher=NIC México|language=es|access-date=2010-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212173502/http://www.nic.mx/es/Noticias_2?NEWS=313|archive-date=2009-02-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[.co]] (March 2010),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cointernet.co/sites/default/files/documents/CO_Sunrise_Launch%26Registration_1.4.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627212601/http://www.cointernet.co/sites/default/files/documents/CO_Sunrise_Launch%26Registration_1.4.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-27 |title=.CO Launch & Registration Rules |access-date=2012-02-24 }}</ref> and [[.uk]] (June 2014).

== See also ==
*[[Drop registrar]]
*[[Private sub-domain registry]]
*[[List of Internet top-level domains]]
*[[NIC handle]]

== References ==
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[[Category:Domain Name System]]
[[Category:Internet governance]]
[[Category:Public records]]
[[Category:Internet databases]]
[[Category:Domain name registries| ]]