VeriSign, Registry Operator for .COM and .NET

Registry Operator website: http://www.verisign.com/information-services/naming-services/index.html

Data available here is extracted from ICANN monthly registries reports available on http://www.icann.org/tlds/monthly-reports/. These reports are published 3 months after their creation, but contain full information coming straight from the registries, instead of being an extrapolation done from a statistical sample extracted from zonefiles updated daily as it is done in most of the other studies.

View more details on .COM registrars / details on .NET registrars, details on .COM creations / details on .NET creations, details on .COM renewals / details on .NET renewals, details on .COM transfers / details on .NET transfers, details on .COM deletes / details on .NET deletes, or go back to the list of ICANN registries.

Before january 1st 2003, VeriSign was also the registry operator for .ORG. The following graphs thus depict .COM, .NET and .ORG before january 1st 2003, and only .COM and .NET after january 1st 2003.

This web page (as well as all included images if present) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 France License. Per the previous license, if you use this content please add a clear web link pointing back to this page.

Registrars accredited by VeriSign

This graph shows the total number of ICANN accredited registrars that are accredited by VeriSign registry operator at a given date.

Legend : «operational» means that the registrar is fully accredited and running, «ramp-up» that it is conducting technical certification, and «pre-ramp-up» that it has not yet signed contracts with the registry.

Registry operator gives access to separate date for .COM and .NET only since december 2006.

You can also access the list of .COM accredited registrars and the list of .NET accredited registrars (data updated daily) and more details on .COM accreditations changes / more details on .NET accreditations changes.

VeriSign zonefile access

This graph shows the total number of .COM .NET zonefile access authorizations at a given date. These files contain the full list of all domain names published in the DNS (which excludes domain names on hold or without any nameservers associated). They are available for free to anyone, after agreeing to a contract with the registry operator. These files are updated daily and are used as a basis by all studies showing daily statistical data on domain names.

In august 2001, after a new contract between ICANN and the registry operator, all prior accesses have been canceled, and needed to be renewed, which explains the fall from 1131 accesses to 340 at that time.

In april 2009, the registry reported that "This number decreased significantly due to a recently completed username review that resulted in the deactivation of hundreds of zone file usernames no longer in use."

VeriSign whois activity

This graph shows the average daily number of whois queries for a given month. Whois enables anyone to get all information related to domain names handled by the registry operator.

Registrars transactions with VeriSign

Data displayed below take into account both successful and unsuccessful operations, which thus explains the high number you may see for example on domain names creations as there exists automated programs trying regularly to register domain names, hence multiple tries.

Domain names transactions

This graph shows the number of domain names transactions done by accredited registrars on a given month. You will find below other graphs giving more details on these aggregated transactions.

After 2006-11, the registry does not provide data anymore about write and query type operations.

Legend : «write» means domain names creation, deletion, modification, renewal and transfer transactions ; «query» means transactions to get back data on domain names ; «check» means transactions to verify if a given domain name exists.

Nameservers transactions

This graph shows the number of nameservers transactions done by accredited registrars on a given month. You will find below other graphs giving more details on these aggregated transactions.

After 2006-11, the registry does not provide this data anymore.

Legend : «write» means nameservers creation, deletion, and modification transactions, «query» means transactions to get back data on nameservers, «check» means transactions to verify if a given nameserver exists.

Details on write transactions by registrars with VeriSign

Data displayed below take into account both successful and unsuccessful operations, which thus explains the high number you may see for example on domain names creations as there exists automated programs trying regularly to register domain names, hence multiple tries.

Domain names creation transactions

This graph shows the number of domain names creation attempts (successful or not) done by accredited registrars on a given month.

Domain names modification transactions (except synchronization and restore)

This graph shows the number of domain names modification attempts (successful or not) done by accredited registrars on a given month.

Legend : «delete» means domain names deletion transactions, «modify» means modification transactions, «renew» means renewal transactions, and «transfer» means domain names transfer transactions.

Domain names synchronization transactions

This graph shows the number of domain names synchronizations done by accredited registrars on a given month. Synchronization of a domain name expiration date is a service only available at VeriSign registry : it enables end clients to change the day of month and the month of expiration, when a renewal will only change the year of expiration and will not touch the day of month or the month.

After 2006-11, the registry does not provide this data anymore.

Domain names restore transactions

This graph shows the number of domain names retore transactions done by accredited registrars on a given month. A restore operation can get back a deleted domain name, before it is again available for anyone to register.

Legend : «restore» (left scale) means the number of restore requests, «restore violation» (right scale) means the number of violation of the restore protocol by accredited registrars when they do not send required proofs.

Nameservers transactions

This graph shows the number of domain names modification attempts (successful or not) done by accredited registrars on a given month.

Legend : «add» means nameservers creation transactions, «delete» means nameservers deletion transactions and «modify» means nameservers modification transactions.

Daily transactions of accredited registrars with VeriSign

This graph shows the lowest, highest and average numbers of daily transactions done by accredited registrars on a given month.

Legend : «high» means the highest number of daily transactions for the given month, «average» means the average number and «low» means the lowest number of daily transactions for the given month.