Domain registration
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Domain registration is the process of acquiring a domain name from a domain name registrar.
History
In 1993 the
Each ICANN-accredited registrar must pay a fixed fee of US$4,000 plus a variable fee. The sum of variable registrar fees is intended to total US$3.8 million.[1] The competition created by the shared registration system enables end users to choose from many registrars offering a range of related services at varying prices.
Designated registrar
Domain registration information is maintained by the domain name registries, which contract with domain registrars to provide registration services to the public. Domain registrar examples include GoDaddy.com, Domain.com, Google Domains, NameCheap and IONOS.[2] An end user selects a registrar to provide the registration service, and that registrar becomes the designated registrar for the domain chosen by the user.
Only the designated registrar may modify or delete information about domain names in a central registry database. It is not unusual for an end user to switch registrars, invoking a domain transfer process between the registrars involved, that is governed by specific domain name transfer policies.
Although the dedicated registrar is the only entity that can modify or delete information regarding domain names in the central registry, there are many domain resellers that allow you to sell domains. You do not have to become a designated registrar in order to sell and register domains.
When a registrar registers a
Many registrars also offer registration through reseller affiliates. An end-user registers either directly with a registrar, or indirectly through one or more layers of resellers. As of 2010, the retail cost generally ranges from a low of about $7.50 per year to about $35 per year for a simple domain registration, although registrars often drop the price far lower – sometimes even free – when ordered with other products.
The maximum period of registration for a domain name is 10 years. Some registrars offer longer periods of up to 100 years,[3] but such offers involve the registrar renewing the registration for their customer; the 100-year registration would not be in the official registration database.
DNS hosting
Registration of a domain name establishes a set of
Registration of a domain does not automatically imply the provision of DNS services for the registered domain. Most registrars do offer
Domain name transfer
A domain name transfer is the process of changing the designated registrar of a domain name. ICANN has defined a Policy on Transfer of Registrations between Registrars.[4] The usual process of a domain name transfer is:
- The end user verifies that the domain lockthat has been placed on the registration. If the whois information had been out of date and is now updated, the end-user should wait 12–24 hours before proceeding further, to allow time for the updated data to propagate.
- The end user contacts the new registrar with the wish to transfer the domain name to their service, and supplies the authentication code.
- The gaining Registrar must obtain express authorization from either the Registered Name Holder or the Administrative Contact. A transfer may only proceed if confirmation of the transfer is received by the gaining Registrar from one of these contacts. The authorization must be made via a valid Standardized Form of Authorization, which may be sent e.g. by e-mail to the e-mail addresses listed in the WHOIS. The Registered Name Holder or the Administrative Contact must confirm the transfer. The new registrar starts electronically the transfer of the domain with the help of the authentication code (auth code).
- The old registrar will contact the end user to confirm the authenticity of this request. The end user may have to take further action with the old registrar, such as returning to the online management tools, to re-iterate their desire to proceed, in order to expedite the transfer.
- The old registrar will release authority to the new registrar.
- The new registrar will notify the end user of transfer completion. The new registrar may have automatically copied over the domain server information, and everything on the website will continue to work as before. Otherwise, the domain server information will need to be updated with the new registrar.
After this process, the new registrar is the domain name's designated registrar. The process may take about five days. In some cases, the old registrar may intentionally delay the transfer as long as allowable. After transfer, the domain cannot be transferred again for 60 days, except back to the previous registrar.
It is unwise to attempt to transfer a domain immediately before it expires. In some cases, a transfer can take up to 14 days, meaning that the transfer may not complete before the registration expires. This could result in loss of the domain name registration and failure of the transfer. To avoid this, end users should either transfer well before the expiration date, or renew the registration before attempting the transfer.[5]
If a domain registration expires, irrespective of the reason, it can be difficult, expensive, or impossible for the original owner to get it back. After the expiration date, the domain status often passes through several management phases, often for a period of months; usually it does not simply become generally available.[6]
See also
References
- ^ ICANN Adopted Budget: Fiscal Year 2007—2008 Archived February 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Domain Names » Register Your TLD » Starting at $1". www.ionos.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ "Protect Your Domain Name Registration Into The Next Century".
- ^ "Policy on Transfer of Registrations between Registrars | Takes effect 1 June 2012". ICANN. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "My Dyn Account".
- ^ "ICANN Lifecycle of a gTLD domain".
External links
- InterNIC Registrar Listing - Directory of ICANN accredited registrars listed alphabetically by name, location, and language supported.
- Registrar Accreditation: Process
- Registrar Accreditation: Financial Considerations
- ICANN. "Registry Operator Maximum Price Schedule" Revised VeriSign .com Registry Agreement: Appendix G. 16 April 2001.
- RFC 2832 – NSI Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 1.1.0
- RFC 3632 – VeriSign Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 2.0.0