Domain names: who does what among registry, registrar and hosting provider?

Domain names: who does what among registry, registrar and hosting provider? Build • Julien Llorens • 25/03/26 • 5 min read

A domain name relies on several technical actors: the registry, the registrar, and the hosting provider. Each plays a distinct role in the registration, management, and access access to services online. These terms, and even DNS (Domain Name System), are sometimes used interchangeably, despite referring to very different functions.

This confusion is not trivial. It can lead to vendor lock-in, migration difficulties, or, in some cases, the loss of an active domain.

The global domain name system is coordinated by ICANN, which oversees global DNS governance and defines the framework for registries and registrars. While ICANN accredits registrars for generic extensions (gTLDs), it does not directly manage of country-code extensions (ccTLDs), where rules are set by each registry. Behind every TLD (Top Level Domain), an official registry is responsible for the technical and administrative management, for example Eurid for .eu or Verisign for .com.

The hosting provider, on the other hand, operates at a different level: the infrastructure that makes your website and services accessible.

Understanding this distribution of responsibilities is a fundamental challenge in digital governance.

The Registry: operating domain extensions

The registry administers a domain name extension (TLD). It maintains the central database of all names registered under that extension and guarantees its technical stability.

For example:

.com and .net are operated by Verisign

.eu is administered by EURid

The registry does not sell domain names directly to companies or individuals. It delegates this mission to accredited registrars.

Key figures from registries

Registries report the following data:

at the end of the third quarter of 2025, 386.9 million domain names were registered worldwide across all extensions, representing a 6.2% annual growth (+22.7 million names).

among them, .com and .net TLDs accounted for a combined total of approximately 173.5 million domain names during this period.

in France, AFNIC reports that .fr has surpassed 4.3 million active domain names , confirming the steady growth of this ccTLD.

This data confirms that the domain name system remains a critical and expanding global infrastructure. While social media and LLMs are shifting our search habits, the domain remains one of the few spaces where a company has full ownership. Unlike third-party platforms dependent on algorithms, it guarantees a long-term online presence, secured by the operational stability of registries.

The Registrar: registering domain names

A registrar is an accredited organization that allows you to register and manage a domain name with a registry. It serves as the contractual and administrative point of contact for the registrant, whether they are an individual or a business.

Accreditation and international framework

For generic extensions (gTLDs) such as .com or .net, registrars must be accredited by ICANN, which oversees their activity at an international level.

In 2026, ICANN lists more than 3,000 accredited registrars worldwide. In practice, some companies operate under multiple accreditations, meaning the number of registrars is closer to 1,200 distinct players.

For country-code extensions (ccTLDs), accreditation is handled directly by the relevant registry. For example, Registro.it (the Italian registry) lists 885 registrars in 2026.

Not all players selling domain names have the same status: only accredited registrars can officially register a domain. The market also includes resellers who distribute these services without being directly accredited themselves.

What a registrar actually does

The registrar intervenes throughout the entire domain name lifecycle:

initial registration

identification and management of the legal owner (registrant)

domain name renewal

management of transfers between registrars

updating contacts

configuration and delegation of name servers (NS)

In practice, the registrar handles the legal and administrative management of the domain name. It does not intervene in the infrastructure hosting the website or associated applications, unless it also provides hosting services.

Why the choice of registrar is strategic

clear domain ownership : ensuring you are officially declared as the legal owner.

access security : protecting your domains against theft or unauthorized transfers.

administrative simplicity : grouping your domains and infrastructure under a single invoice to avoid any risk of missing a renewal.

regulatory compliance : meeting requirements (e.g., GDPR, NIS2) by choosing a reliable provider.

In a structured organization, the registrar's role is not limited to administration: it becomes a key element of digital governance.

The hosting provider: the actor that provides infrastructure

The hosting provider operates at a different level. Its role is not to register the domain name, but to provide the technical infrastructure that makes services accessible.

It notably hosts:

the website

applications

APIs

associated services

To do this, it provides technical resources such as servers, network, and storage.

Some hosting providers also offer domain name registration. this proximity can create confusion. In practice, changing your hosting provider does not necessarily mean changing your registrar, and vice versa.

DNS: the technical link between the domain and infrastructure

DNS connects the domain name to the technical infrastructure. It serves as the resolution system that associates a human-readable name with the IP address of a service accessible on the Internet. It operates at the interface between the registrar, which delegates the DNS servers, and the hosting provider, which provides the technical resources.

In practice, a single domain can:

be registered with Registrar A

use DNS servers from Provider B

point to an infrastructure hosted by Provider C

This separation of roles offers great architectural flexibility but requires a sound understanding of DNS configuration.

The registrar plays a key role in the deployment of DNSSEC. This protocol cryptographically signs your records to ensure that users reach your genuine infrastructure rather than a malicious copy. Long considered complex due to the manual handling of DS keys, the role of a modern registrar is to automate this exchange with the registry....