If you are looking to register a domain name for yourself, here is an easy guide to understand the whole of the domain name registration process. To register and own a domain name, for example, a gTLD, the registrant (who holds the ownership of the domain name) must register it with ICANN-accredited registrar. The registrar checks the availability and creates a WHOIS record with the registrant’s contact information. However, in most cases, domain names are being registered through a registrar’s reseller. The diagram (from the icann.org website) below illustrates the functions of various parties involved in the domain name registration process.
Domain name registrant
A domain name registrant is a person or an organization who holds the legal ownership of the domain name. The terms and conditions of the domain name registrar are usually binding on the domain name registrant.
Domain name registrars
Accredited and certified organizations that sell domain names are called the domain name registrars. The terms and conditions of the domain name registries are usually binding on the domain name registrars.
Domain name resellers Domain name resellers are organizations that are affiliated with registrars. The terms and conditions of the domain name registrars are usually binding on the domina name resellers. They are not accredited by ICANN or the domain registry. The registrars will be the sponsor for the domain name registration.
Domain name registries
Domain name registries are the organization that maintains the date base of the domain names for each TLD. They are also responsible for accepting registration requests and providing name servers to publish the zone file data.
This article about the domain name registration process was written with reference to the information obtained from the ICANN website. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit organization that oversees the assignment of both IP addresses and domain names. It has responsibility for managing root server and TLD name system management and has contractual agreements with both registries and registrars that provide the foundation for the WHOIS system.