What is a Registrar?

A registrar is an accredited organization or business that sells domain names to customers. When you register a domain name, you are actually purchasing it from a registrar. The registrar is responsible for managing the domain name's registration information and for maintaining the domain name's presence on the internet.

Registrars are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is the non-profit organization that oversees the global domain name system. To become an ICANN-accredited registrar, a company must meet certain requirements and pass a rigorous evaluation process.

Some of the key functions of a registrar include:

1. Domain name registration: Registrars allow customers to purchase and register domain names.
2. Domain name renewal: Registrars provide a service for customers to renew their domain names when they are close to expiring.
3. Domain name transfer: Registrars facilitate the transfer of domain names from one customer to another.
4. Domain name management: Registrars provide tools and services for customers to manage their domain names, such as updating contact information or setting up domain name servers.
5. Whois database management: Registrars are responsible for maintaining the whois database, which contains information about the ownership and registration of domain names.
6. DNS management: Registrars may also offer DNS (domain name system) management services, which allow customers to manage the IP addresses associated with their domain names.

Some examples of registrars include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Google Domains.