Glossary · ENCheck a domain

Domain registry

A domain registry is the organization and system that keeps the official registration records for names under a particular top-level domain, such as .com or .uk. The registry operator maintains that domain-ending's records and publishes the information needed for the DNS to direct lookups toward the right name servers.

What does a registry do?

When a registrant requests a name through a registrar, the registrar sends the registration request to the registry responsible for the ending. The registry checks and records the name under its rules. It also maintains the DNS information for the ending so lookups can find the name servers that publish answers for registered names.

For example, if a registrar submits garden.example under a made-up ending .example, that ending's registry would be responsible for keeping the registration record. The registry is not the website host: its role is to maintain the domain-ending's registration information and the DNS information pointing to the responsible name servers. The website host supplies the website after the name has led a visitor's browser to the service.

How is a registry different from a registrar?

The registry operates the central system for a domain ending. The registrar is the service a customer uses to request and manage a registration. A registrant is the person or organization associated with the name. A company may work in more than one part of the domain industry, but the roles and agreements remain distinct.

For generic top-level domains, ICANN contracts with registry operators and accredited registrars, and each registry operator has agreements with registrars that offer names in its ending. Country-code endings are managed under arrangements that may differ from the generic top-level domain (gTLD) model; IANA's root zone database lists which managers are responsible for TLDs, but does not mean every ending follows identical retail or eligibility rules.

Does a registry contain the website?

No. A registry record helps the DNS locate the name servers responsible for a domain. Those name servers publish records that can point a browser or mail system toward services. The registry does not store the website pages, and the registry operator is not necessarily the registrar or hosting provider a customer deals with.

This distinction helps when diagnosing a problem. A name can remain registered while its website is hosted elsewhere. Changing the website host usually requires updating the relevant DNS settings; changing the registrar changes who manages the registration. Neither action by itself changes which organization operates the top-level domain's registry.

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