.net

This article is about the top-level domain. For the framework, see.NET.For other uses, see.net (disambiguation).

.net

Introduced	1 January 1985(1985-01-01)
TLDtype	Generic top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Verisign
Sponsor	None
Intended use	Network infrastructure
Actual use	ISPs;miscellaneous sites; used sometimes when desired name is not available in
Registration restrictions	None
Structure	Registrations at second level permitted
Documents	RFC1591;ICANN registry agreement
Dispute policies	UDRP
DNSSEC	Yes
Registry website	Verisign.net Registry

Thedomain namenetis ageneric top-level domain(gTLD) used in theDomain Name Systemof theInternet.The name is derived from the wordnetwork,indicating it was originally intended for organizations involved in networking technologies, such asInternet service providersand otherinfrastructurecompanies. However, there are no official restrictions and the domain is now a general-purpose namespace.

History

netis one of the original top-level domains(the other six beingcom,org,edu,gov,mil,andarpa) despite not being mentioned in RFC 920, having been created in January 1985.

Verisign,the operator ofnetafter acquiringNetwork Solutions,held an operations contract that expired on 30 June 2005.ICANN,the organization responsible for domain management, sought proposals from organizations to operate the domain upon expiration of the contract. Verisign regained the contract bid and secured its control over thenetregistry for another six years. On 30 June 2011, the contract with Verisign was automatically renewed for another six years. This is because of a resolution approved by the ICANN board, which states that renewal will be automatic as long as Verisign meets certain ICANN requirements.As of May 2022, Verisign continues to manage.net.

Registration

Registrations are processed via accreditedregistrarsandinternationalized domain namesare also accepted.

The first created.net domain name is nordu.net. It was created on 1 January 1985 according to the public records, andNORDUnethas used this domain name since 1985.

Net extension is the most preferred gTLD just after com. Total registered domain names with net extension are 13.4 million according to the Domain Name Industry Report published in March 2020, which publishes every quarter.

As of 2021, it is the fourth most popular top-level domain, after,.deand.cn.The.net domain rose from fifth to fourth place as a result of the.tkdomain ceasing to accept registrations.

External links

• List ofnetaccredited registrars