Registrar and Registry: Domain definitions
The definition of registry is becoming fuzzy.
Two of the most commonly misused words in mainstream articles regarding domain names are registrar and registry. Many publications use one when it ought to be the other.
A registrar is the firm where you register a domain name, such as GoDaddy or Name.com.
A registry is the firm that manages the top level domain name.
So if you register a .com domain name at GoDaddy, GoDaddy is the registrar and Verisign is the registry for the domain name.
Now, most DNW readers are aware of this. But I’ve started to run into a conundrum with the release of fresh top level domain names.
With fresh TLDs, there are often two firms referred to as registries.
For example, .Buzz is “owned” and marketed by dotStrategy. But the traditional technical registry tasks are handled by Neustar, the same firm that is the registry for .biz and .us
Are both considered registries?
In this case, I often call Neustar the “back end registry provider” or the “technical registry provider”, but these terms are cumbersome. Sometimes I refer to dotStrategy as the “TLD operator” and Neustar as the “registry”.
I don’t have a good answer to this yet, but I am open to suggestions.
