Afnic and Internet Stiftelsen, the Swedish Internet Foundation (registry of .se) are continuing their joint work with the release of a new version of Zonemaster, the reference domain name checking tool available since 2013.
Zonemaster analyses the technical configuration of a domain name (also known as « zone ») against a set of more than seventy tests based on Internet standards and best practices, and reports on any potential issue. Available as free open-source software, in 7 languages and with more than 250,000 tests a year, Zonemaster has become a reference service among a large community of users, comprised of both organisations and individuals.
In the past year of 2024, the following notable developments have been made:
- Dedicated website for Zonemaster documentation, available at https://doc.zonemaster.net,
- Updated test cases, and the addition of three new test cases including one related to SPF (Sender Policy Framework),
- Improved user interface and accessibility.
Complete release information can be found here: https://github.com/zonemaster/zonemaster/releases.
Looking ahead, in 2025 we plan on bringing the following major improvements:
- Graphical user interface: complete architecture overhaul, bringing a modular server-based approach to enhance usability and customizability,
- Performance: various optimizations to speed up test execution and overall tool efficiency,
- Comprehensive test messages: enhancements to simplify and clarify test messages, aiding users in better understanding of test results.
Finally, the “Discussions” feature on Github has been enabled to foster more exchange between the Zonemaster group and its users. It is available https://github.com/orgs/zonemaster/discussions.
About Afnic
Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.
In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.
Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.
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