A domain name registrar is a company that manages the reservation of Internet domain names. A domain name registrar must be accredited by a generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) registry or a country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) registry. The management is done in accordance with the guidelines of the designated domain name registries. Originally all domains were registered though Internic, then Network Solutions, and now there are several competing registrars in an open marketplace.
Top 5 Registrar services
- Namecheap - best value, low cost, free DNS.
- Dotster - New control interface, now offering free DNS too.
- Network Solutions - not a good value, but the oldest and lest likely to go defunct.
- Name.com - another popular registrar.
- 1&1 - offering low cost email and hosting starting at a dollar.
*. Top 5 picks selected by affiliate author review (www.techreviewcentral.com).