Registry Resources

The ICANN org has various resources available for registry operators. These include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and How to Guides for registry services. Below are links to such resources:

Bulk Transfers: To see list of bulk transfers resulting from registrar accreditations terminated by ICANN and the related FAQ, please visit the Bulk Transfers page.

Centralized Zone Data Service (CZDS) – CZDS provides a centralized point for interested parties to request access to Zone Files provided by participating Top Level Domain Registries. The service is the solution for scaling zone data transfer as hundreds of new gTLDs are added to the Internet.

• User Guide v1.0 [PDF, 1.3 MB]
• Webinar Recording

Data Protection and Privacy - For information regarding ICANN's data protection and privacy activities, including GDPR, please visit the Data Protection and Privacy page.

Emergency Back-end Registry Operator (EBERO) – The establishment of Emergency Back-End Registry Operators, or EBEROs, are an important innovation of the New gTLD Program. The EBERO program mitigates risks to the stability and security of the Domain Name System in the event of New gTLD operator failure.

Form 6166 - U.S. Tax Residency Certification (TRC) –This is the certificate that many of ICANN's contracted parties located outside of the United States (U.S.) can use to claim income tax treaty benefits, and/or certain other tax benefits, in other countries.

Framework for Registry Operators to Respond to Security Threats – The Framework provides guidance to registry operators to respond to security threats. It is designed to assist both law enforcement and registry operators in understanding the issues and limitations faced and to provide resources and alternatives for resolving identified security threats.

GDD Accounts and Services Team – The GDD Accounts and Services Team serves several roles. With a global presence, the team collaborates with both registry operators and registrars to ensure a secure, stable and resilient gTLD namespace.

gTLDs JSON Report – The gTLDs JSON Report provides a list of all gTLDs that have signed contracts with the ICANN org, indicating specific contract attributes and the dates in which the TLDs have been included in the root zone.

ICANN Learn: ICANN org has created an online course that introduces the structure of ICANN and resources for registry operators, as well as the fundamentals of the requirements for running a generic top level domain name (gTLD) registry. This course is available on ICANN Learn and can be found by searching Registry Operators Fundamental. The course is ideal for new employees of current registry operators, those interested in becoming registry operators, and learning about registry operator obligations.

List of Top-level Domains – A list of all valid top-level domains, maintained by the IANA.

Monthly Registry Reports – Per Specification 3 of the Registry Agreement, registry operators are mandated to provide ICANN with monthly transaction reports. Although these reports are published, they are withheld for three months after the end of the month to which the report relates.

Monitoring System API Specification (MoSAPI) - MoSAPI is a REST API that allows gTLD registries, participating country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and ICANN accredited registrars to retrieve information collected by the Service Level Agreement Monitoring (SLAM) system.

Naming Services portal – The Naming Services portal (NSp) for registry operators is where registry operators communicate directly and securely with ICANN org. The secure and scalable architecture allows for ongoing improvements and increased efficiencies to better serve registry operators. The portal provides contact management, general inquiry and service request cases and contractual compliance case management.

Please see Naming Services portal for Registry Operators for more information.

2012 New gTLD Program – A community-driven initiative to enable the expansion of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) through the introduction of new top-level domains

2012 New gTLD Program Case Studies – Case studies from the 2012 round that tell the story of a top-level domain, including its background and business objectives. They are intended for use as educational materials.

New gTLD Program: Next Round – An opportunity for communities, governments, and other organizations to apply for new top-level domains starting in 2026.

New gTLD Registry Operator CSV Report [CSV, 29.3 KB] – The New gTLD Registry Operator CSV Report is a downloadable comma separated value (CSV) file which provides a list of all New gTLDs that have signed a contract with the ICANN org, along with the corresponding registry operator, date of contract execution, application ID, and gTLD delegation date, where applicable.

Operations Handbook for Registry Operators – As a registry operator, there are many obligations at various stages throughout the life of a generic top-level domain (gTLD). The Operations Handbook for Registry Operators is intended to provide high-level information pertaining to ongoing registry operations required to fulfill the obligations specified in the base Registry Agreement and Specification 13.

Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) – RDAP enables users to access current registration data and was created as an eventual replacement for the WHOIS protocol. RDAP was developed by the technical community in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Registration Reporting Interfaces (RRI) - The RRI system is a set of interfaces provided by ICANN to contracted parties including Registry Operators and Data Escrow Agents (DEA) to fulfill and monitor their applicable reporting requirements.

Registry Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – The ICANN org publishes FAQs to provide answers to commonly asked questions pertaining to registry services and contractual obligations.

Registry Listing Page – The ICANN org has a publicly centralized directory webpage for entities interested in outreach to a specific registry operator. This contact information may be the registry's customer service department or a specific point of contact that handles general inquiries for the registry.

Registry System Testing (RST) – RST ensures that a registry operator has the capacity to operate a new gTLD in a stable and secure manner, by testing critical registry functions as described in the registry agreement. Testing requirements vary depending on the services a registry operator supports.