ICANN, Registries, and Registrars: Who Governs Domain Names Globally

The Short Version

Domain names are governed in layers, not by one central authority issuing every registration. ICANN sits at the top, setting global policy; a registryThe organization that operates a top-level domain and maintains the master database of its registrations. runs each individual TLDTop-Level Domain — the last part of a domain name, such as .com or .rw.; and a registrarAn accredited company that sells and manages domain registrations on a registry's behalf., like Register.rw, is the company you actually buy a domain from. Country-code domains like .rw add a fourth layer of local authority on top: RICTA.

What ICANN Actually Does

ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is a non-profit that coordinates the domain name system at the global level: accrediting registrars, setting the rules those registrars must follow, approving new generic TLDs, and maintaining the policies that keep the whole system interoperable across countries and organizations. ICANN doesn't sell domains, host websites, or run the internet's infrastructure directly; its role is closer to setting the rules of the road than driving on it.

Registries: One per TLD

Below ICANN, each TLD has its own registry responsible for maintaining the authoritative record of every domain registered under it. Verisign runs the registry for .com; other organizations run .org, .io, and so on. For country-code domains, the registry is typically a locally-governed body rather than an ICANN-appointed one, which is the category .rw falls into.

Registrars: Where You Actually Buy

A registrar is the company that sells domains to the public and handles registration with the relevant registry on your behalf. Register.rw is an accredited registrar for .rw and sells international TLDs alongside it. You never interact with a registry or with ICANN directly; the registrar is the layer built specifically for that.

Where .rw Fits: RICTA and Local Authority

Country-code TLDs like .rw operate somewhat outside ICANN's direct policy-making authority. RICTA, the Rwanda Internet Community and Technology Alliance, governs .rw as Rwanda's own ccTLDA country-code Top-Level Domain tied to a specific country, such as .rw for Rwanda. registry, setting its own local rules, such as the eligibility restrictions on ac.rw and coop.rw, independent of ICANN's generic-TLD policies. See What Is RICTA? for the full picture, and our step-by-step .rw registration guide for what registering through Register.rw actually involves.

How New TLDs Get Created

New generic TLDs, like .shop or .app, come into existence through an ICANN application and evaluation process, opened periodically to organizations that want to operate a new suffix. An approved applicant becomes that TLD's registry, subject to ICANN's ongoing policy requirements. Country-code TLDs like .rw follow a separate path, tied to a country's own designation rather than an ICANN application.

Domain Disputes and ICANN's Role

When someone disputes ownership of a domain, for example a trademark claim against a domain registered in bad faith, ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRPThe Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, the standard process for resolving trademark disputes over domains.) provides a formal process for resolving it without going to court. ICANN itself doesn't rule on disputes directly; it accredits the dispute resolution providers and requires registrars to comply with their decisions.

Why This Layered System Exists

Splitting global policy, per-TLD registries, and public-facing registrars into separate layers is what lets the domain system scale: ICANN doesn't need to process millions of individual registrations, and a registrar like Register.rw doesn't need to negotiate global policy. Each layer does one job, and a domain owner only ever needs to deal with the outermost one. Ready to register? Check availability on our domains page.