What is a Domain Name Registrar? - Read the Domain Registration Article at Ballistic Domains

What is a Domain Name Registrar?

Domain Registration Article Details

When a person tries to register a domain name, they cannot do it directly by themselves and must use the services of an accredited Domain Name Registrar to perform this service for them. So what therefore is a domain name registrar?

A domain name registrar is a business or organization that is given authority by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) or by a countries national domain name authority to act on behalf of consumers to carry out their domain name registration services. This involves checking that domain name hasnt been registered to someone else. Making sure that all domain name and contact information is collected and reported to ICANN, and also allowing the ability to transer domain names between different parties. A domain name registrar may also offer domain registrants the ability to protect their domains contact details from spammers by offering proxy or 3rd party registration services by making their domain registration details 'private'. All personal details of those who register a domain with a domain name registrar, by default, have their contact information made public on the internet via the WHOIS database. A simple WHOIS search can provide these details to anyone unless some sort of privacy protection is put on the domain by the domain name registrar at the time the domain got registered. Another service a domain name registrar may offer is the ability to 'lock' your domain, hereby not allowing any changes to the registration information on the domain until the domain is unlocked.

Domain name registrars collect money for their domain registration services as well as on behalf of ICAAN (who charges each registrar an administration fee for each domain the registrar registers). Domain registration fees are calculated based on the domain name services provided, as well as the length in years that you register your domain for. Typically the longest registration period a domain name registrar can register a domain for is 10 years, but after this the registrar can usually renew your domain automatically for you once that period has expired. A lot of domain name registrars can also give large discounts for bulk domain name registrations involving many domain names, and offer easy to use online web based domain name management tools to keep track of the domains that you have registered.

Up until 1999 all .com, .org, and .net domain names were registered by a single company called Network Solutions through an agreement the had with the US Dept of Commerce. Since then, many domain name registrars have entered the market to provide different domain registration services.

Some of these registrars have been using questionable tactics to acquire new customers by trying to trick registrants into transferring their domains to a different domain name registrar service (their own) without the person knowing. Typical methods of doing this have been to send out misleading notices via email, fax or letter of 'domains' expiring unless their recommended course of action is followed. Remember, all of this information is readily available via the WHOIS database (including domain expiry dates), so a good course of action to follow would be to perhaps make your domain a 'private registration' so that only your real domain name registrar has access to your contact information and can contact you when necessary.

So, in conclusion, when wanting to register a new domain name, make sure you choose a trustworthy domain name registrar like Ballistic Domains and if you ever have any questions about anything, call Customer Support to verify, confirm, and guide you through your domain registration process and domain renewal process.