Registry, registrar, and DNS host

A registry operates a top-level domain such as .com. A registrar sells registrations and records which nameservers are responsible for your domain.

A DNS host runs the authoritative nameservers and gives you a place to manage records. The registrar and DNS host can be the same company, but they do different jobs.

A web host is another role: it serves the application after DNS sends clients to it. One company can perform several roles, but keep the controls separate in your mental model.

Use the failing layer to choose the change:

• Moving a website usually means changing A, AAAA, or CNAME records at the DNS host.
• Moving DNS hosting means copying the zone, then changing delegated nameservers through the registrar.
• Moving registration means transferring the domain between registrars; it does not inherently change the website or zone contents.
• Renewing the registration keeps the right to use the domain. Paying a DNS or web-hosting invoice does not renew it.

You can observe the delegation without knowing which dashboard produced it:

dig NS example.com +short
dig +trace example.com NS

Registration data can be inspected through the registry’s RDAP service, while DNS queries show the technical delegation. Privacy-protected registration data may hide personal contact details, but the registration status and nameservers remain operational evidence.

The registrar account is a high-value security boundary because an attacker who changes delegation can redirect many services at once. Use strong authentication, registrar lock features, renewal alerts, and documented recovery access.

Your action is to map one domain to four organizations: registry, registrar, DNS host, and web host. For a future website move, write which dashboard changes and which three should remain unchanged.