Entrust your TLD’s back-end operation to a leading Registry Service Provider

Operating a Top-Level Domain (TLD) requires a high-performance, resilient and secure infrastructure, capable of reliably meeting ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) technical and operational requirements over the long term. Afnic Registry Services draws on more than 25 years of experience in managing the registry services for the TLDs entrusted to Afnic.

Whether for open TLDs such as .museum or .paris, or closed TLDs such as .leclerc or .total, our solutions include the technical and functional components needed for the day-to-day management of an Internet Top-Level Domain. You remain autonomous in managing your TLD and your customer relationships thanks to our management interfaces, while our registration and resolution systems ensure its back-end operation.

A complete back-end solution for the day-to-day management of your TLD

The Registry Service Provider (RSP), or back-end registry operator, is the entity responsible for technical management of an Internet Top Level Domain. It ensures the TLD runs smoothly from day to day, handling zone file publication, DNS resolution, domain name registration and related operations, while guaranteeing compliance with the service levels and rules set by ICANN.

Afnic Registry Services provides all the services and infrastructure you need for your TLD to function.

• Registration system and interface with the registrars;
• Zone file publication and DNS resolution;
• Security, availability and resilience of infrastructures;
• Management of your registrar network and domain name registrations;
• Monitoring of your TLD’s commercial performance and technical configuration;
• Promotional operations and billing;
• Handling of abuse in compliance with ICANN requirements;
• Administration and oversight tools.

All this gives you access to tried and tested infrastructure and teams with extensive registry expertise, while retaining full control of your strategy and relationships within your ecosystem.

Solutions for each model of TLD

Afnic Registry Services operates the full range of TLD models for a wide variety of uses.

Open TLDs

An open TLD lets third parties register domain names, according to the rules defined by its registryt. Examples of this model are community TLDs such as .museum, and geographic TLDs such as .paris.

Afnic Registry Services provides the functionalities needed to operate them and manage their network of registrars.

Closed or .Brand TLDs

A closed TLD may be reserved exclusively for use by the organisation that owns it. Notable examples are the .Brand TLDs, such as .leclerc or .total. A brand that has its own TLD can create and remove domain names under that domain; it thus possesses its own naming space.

Numerous uses exist today: organisation of digital services, securing of a naming space, rationalisation of a portfolio of domain names and structuring of distribution networks.

Examples of real-world use cases: E.Leclerc and its .leclerc domain: a brand that has made its name a digital territory and Using .bnpparibas to the benefit of the Group’s customers and business lines

Also: 6 reasons why a Top-Level Domain gives you greater control over your distribution network

Why choose Afnic Registry Services?

Our experience as registry for the .fr TLD and as a registry service provider, our quality of service and knowledge of the market enable us to provide an leading back-end registry solution for TLDs.

• An independent, sovereign operator: our applications and data are all hosted on our own infrastructure located in France, with no reliance on third-party solutions and no possibility of take-over by third parties. We are an independent and sovereign operator, acting as both registry and registry service provider.
• An Operator of Essential Services: designated as responsible for an essential service under the EU cybersecurity directives (NIS), and ISO 27001-certified for our .fr registry operations, we guarantee full compliance with the European regulatory framework for all your registrants.
• Unparalleled performance, security and availability: our registration system, entirely overhauled in 2022 to the latest market standards, together with our 420 resolution servers deployed worldwide, deliver exceptional resilience and global coverage.
• Unique expertise in the registry business: with over 25 years of experience as a leading European player in domain names, we put our know-how to work for every TLD entrusted to us.
• An ICANN pre-evaluated Registry Service Provider: since January 2026, Afnic has been pre-evaluated by ICANN as a Main Registry Service Provider (RSP). This pre-evaluation program is designed to test the operational, security and continuity capabilities required to operate a registry to ICANN’s standards.
• Internationally recognised expertise: our 90 experts help shape the future of the global Internet and ensure impeccable, 24/7 service quality, for both customer support and technical support.
• Hosting solutions tailored to your needs: in addition to hosting on Afnic’s secure infrastructure, we offer a wide range of options that give you complete freedom of choice, from the international private Cloud to the SecNumCloud Cloud in France or Europe, or directly on your own infrastructure (on-premises) with infrastructure managed by Afnic’s teams. A separate pricing structure applies to hosting outside Afnic’s infrastructure, depending on your needs and the technical complexity of the project.

Are you a registrar?

Our back-end registry solutions can be incorporated into your offering to enrich the services provided to your customers. Adding our back-end solutions in your offering allows you to:

• Combine your expertise as a registrar with that of Afnic as a registry service provider;
• Expand your range of services by using Afnic’s knowledge, skills and tools for the benefit of your customers as part of their gTLD project.

Our teams are on hand to discuss the arrangements for incorporating this service into your catalogue.