Domain Registration Companies

There are many companies on the Internet that can register your domain name for you. Each company will register the name for a fee, which usually varies from seller to seller so it's best to shop around to get the best deal for your needs. Most of these companies are also hosts and will offer to host your site as well. Once your domain name is registered it goes to a central database which contains all of the registered domain names and their accompanying IP addresses in America. The U.S. Department of Commerce, along with several public and private entities, created InterNIC to maintain this registration database in 1993. Most other countries around the world have similar databases. Until recently, Network Solutions was the only company that sold domain names, but to ensure they didn't become a monopoly, the government allowed other companies to sell names. Although these other registrars sell names and maintain DNS servers, Network Solutions still controls the central database making sure there is no name duplication or conflicts. In the U.S., you pay Network Solutions an annual fee to maintain your name in the central server.