Domain registrar

The registrar is where your domain is held, not where your website lives. Many companies sell both, which is why people confuse a registrar with web hosting, but they are separate services and can sit with separate providers. Behind every registrar is a registry, the organisation that runs a top-level domain and keeps the master list of names under it. You never deal with the registry directly; the registrar does that for you.

Many hosts and agencies are resellers rather than registrars: they sell domains through an accredited registrar behind the scenes. A public lookup shows the accredited registrar, which may not be the company you pay, and that matters when you need support or want to move the domain.

How it works

When you buy a domain, the registrar checks with the registry that the name is free, records you as the registrant (the legal holder) and charges the yearly fee. Its control panel is where you renew, set contact details, turn on privacy protection for your personal details and choose which nameservers answer for the domain.

To move a domain to another registrar you switch off its transfer lock, request an authorisation code (often called an EPP or transfer code) and give that code to the new registrar. Under the rules for most endings, a domain cannot move to another registrar for a set period after it is first registered or last transferred, and the length of that period depends on the ending.

When a registration lapses, it does not vanish at once. For many endings there is a grace period during which the holder can still renew at the normal price, followed by a redemption period in which restoring the name costs an extra fee, after which it is deleted and released. The exact periods and fees differ between endings and registrars, so read your registrar's terms rather than counting on the timeline.

Example

A landscaping company bought its domain years ago through the web designer's account. When the relationship ends, the owner asks for the transfer code, opens an account with a registrar of their own choosing and moves the domain there. The website and email keep working throughout, because the DNS settings stay with the same provider; had the old registrar also run the DNS, the records would have been copied to the new provider before the move.

Before that move, the owner checks four things in the new account: the registrant is the company itself, the contact email is a shared company address, auto-renew is on with a current card, and the transfer lock is back on once the transfer completes. A public lookup afterwards confirms the new registrar and the expiry date.

Why it matters for your business

The registrar account is the master key to your online presence. Whoever logs into it can point the domain anywhere, redirect your email or let the name lapse. Keeping it in the business's own name, with a shared company email address, two-factor authentication and auto-renew switched on, removes a whole category of risk at almost no cost. Which registrar you choose matters less than who controls the login; most sell the same names at comparable prices. If a dispute ever arises over who holds the name, the registrant record is the evidence that counts, so check that it shows the company's legal name rather than a person or a former supplier.

Common mistakes

• Registering the domain under a staff member's personal email, which becomes a problem the day they leave.
• Ignoring renewal emails because they look like the spam that imitates registrar notices.
• Assuming the registrar also backs up or hosts the website when it only holds the name.
• Leaving the account without two-factor authentication, so a stolen password hands over the domain.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a registrar and a web host?

A registrar holds your domain name; a web host stores and serves your website files. Some companies offer both in one account, which is convenient, but keeping them separate means a problem with your host never puts your domain at risk.

How do I find out who my domain registrar is?

Run a WHOIS or RDAP lookup on your domain using any public lookup tool. The result shows the registrar's name even when your personal contact details are hidden by privacy protection. Then log into that registrar, or ask whoever originally bought the name.

Can I transfer my domain to another registrar?

Yes. Switch off the transfer lock, get the transfer code from your current registrar, and start the transfer at the new one. Transfers usually complete within a few days, and the paid registration period normally carries over, often with an extra year added.