The domain name supply chain

When you register a domain name, you are basically renting a product. It sounds simple and, for you, it is. All you need to do is pick a provider, find a domain name, and pay for your chosen number of years.

But behind the scenes there are technical and bureaucratic systems that keep everything working. This article quickly explains who’s who.

Regulators set the rules. Those rules can dictate who is allowed to register certain domains (e.g. .gov.au is only Government agencies) and what information you need to supply to register a domain. Sometimes these intersect. For example, .com.au domains require you to prove that it will be used by an Australian commerical operation. An ABN makes good proof of that.

Sometimes regulators also control the wholesale price of domains. For .au domains, the regulator is auDA, and they set a wholesale price for the entire industry.

Registries run the systems that record the current owner, along with other details of each domain. They collect the wholesale price for each domain registered, and they make sure that all the providers who offer domains to the public are following the rules. For .au domains, the registry is the same body as the regulator - auDA.

Registrars are companies that are allowed to record domain name ownership directly with the registry. They are the first level of companies that offer domain names to the public. Australia has a few dozen registrars. As we'll soon explain, not every domain name retailer is a registrar. Registrars need to be officially credited by auDA. To be credited a registrar has to prove that it will abide by all the right regulations, and that their systems are compliant with the registry as well.

Resellers are a larger group of companies that offer domain names to the public. Rather than being directly connected to the registry, resellers work through registrars. They are an extra link in the supply chain. In some cases, you can get multiple resellers in a single chain.

Registrants are the people (or companies) who register and use domain names. Like you!

No matter which reseller or registrant you use to register your domain, the registration is ultimately held in the same registry. It’s worth comparing different options, though, because these things can all differ a lot:

  • The price you pay to register (and, later, to renew) your domain.
  • The domain-management tools that you get access to.
  • The support that you can call on from your provider.