Definition

A registrar is a company accredited by ICANN (for gTLDs) and by ccTLD registries to sell, manage and renew domain names for end users. OVH, GoDaddy, Gandi, MarkMonitor and CSC are examples.

Operational role

• Process registration requests and forward them to the registry
• Manage renewals
• Update DNS servers
• Keep WHOIS data up to date
• Handle transfers between registrars

How to choose a corporate registrar

• Security level (strong authentication, registrar lock, MFA)
• Multi-extension support (gTLD, ccTLD, new gTLDs)
• Volume management (API, enterprise portal)
• Legal compliance (GDPR, traceability)
• Long-term renewal pricing

Registrar vs registry

A registrar sells to the public; a registry technically operates an extension (Verisign for .com, Afnic for .fr).