Registry? Registrar? Registrant? What do these words mean?

Registrar: A "Registrar" (or "Domain Name Registrar") is an organization like OpenSRS or Register-IT CC that has control over the granting of domains within certain TLDs (top level domains, like the generic .com/.org/.net or country-specific .ca/.us/.mx/.co.za etc.).

Registry: The "Registry" is the backend that registrar's have shared access to. Each registrar writes new names to a central registry database, from which the authoritative root (essentially, a table of all domain names on the Internet) is built.

Registrant: A "Registrant" is the person or company who purchases a domain name. For example, Jessica Smith (registrant) registers the name example.co.za through Register-IT CC(registrar) who in turn writes the name to the central database (Registry).

  • 1 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

EPP Code (Auth Code)

To obtain the EPP code, follow the steps below.1. Log into your account.2. Click on Domains then...

What is a domain name?

A domain name is essentially a signpost on the Internet. Every website you've ever been to, and...

Who does a registered name actually belong to, the end user or the Registration Service Provider?

Domain names are not truly owned -- they're leased out on a first-come, first-served basis, and...

What's the difference between .com, .net, .org domain names?

Originally, the three letter extensions after the dot (or Top Level Domain/TLD) were meant to...

What's the difference between a ccTLD and a gTLD?

A gTLD is a generic Top Level Domain. These are top level domains that are NOT affiliated with...