{"id":19124,"date":"2026-11-09T14:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T11:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/knowledgebase\/registrar-vs-registry-vs-icann\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T14:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T11:55:29","password":"","slug":"registrar-vs-registry-vs-icann","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/registrar-vs-registry-vs-icann\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Runs Your Domain? ICANN, Registry, Registrar and Reseller Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hkb\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<div class=\"hkb-tldr\"><b>In short<\/b>Your domain passes through a chain of four parties: ICANN sets the general rules, the registry runs the extension such as .com or .sa, an accredited registrar registers the domain in your name, and a reseller like Hyyat Host gives you the service and support. You deal only with Hyyat Host, and we follow up with the rest of the chain.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hy-vid\"><div style=\"width: 1280px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-19124-1\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/zasogooh\/2026\/11\/hyyat-domain-registrar-en.jpg\" preload=\"none\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/zasogooh\/2026\/11\/hyyat-domain-registrar-en.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/zasogooh\/2026\/11\/hyyat-domain-registrar-en.mp4\">https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/zasogooh\/2026\/11\/hyyat-domain-registrar-en.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><\/div>\n<p>When an email mentions ICANN, or WHOIS shows a company name you do not know, you wonder: who really owns my domain, and who do I contact when there is a problem? The answer is a simple chain of four parties, each with a clear role.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"hkb-fig\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/zasogooh\/2026\/11\/hkb-domain-registrar-chain-en.webp\" alt=\"The domain chain: ICANN, then the registry, then the registrar, then Hyyat Host, then you\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>The four parties and their roles<\/h2>\n<div class=\"hkb-tbl\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Party<\/th>\n<th>Role<\/th>\n<th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>ICANN<\/td>\n<td>A global body that sets the general rules for generic domains and accredits registrars.<\/td>\n<td>The domain owner email verification rule.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Registry<\/td>\n<td>Runs a whole extension, keeps the list of all domains registered in it, and sets the wholesale price.<\/td>\n<td>The .com registry, and the Saudi Network Information Center for .sa.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Registrar<\/td>\n<td>An accredited company that registers domains in the registry for their owners.<\/td>\n<td>The name shown in WHOIS under Registrar.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Reseller<\/td>\n<td>Gives you registration, renewal and support, and deals with the registrar for you.<\/td>\n<td>Hyyat Host.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Who owns the domain?<\/h2>\n<p><b>You do<\/b>. The domain is registered to the owner in its contact details, not to the registrar or the reseller. That is why the owner details must always be accurate. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/domain-privacy-whois\/\">Domain privacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why does WHOIS show a company other than Hyyat Host?<\/h2>\n<p>Because WHOIS shows the accredited registrar that actually registers the domain in the registry. Hyyat Host works with accredited registrars to serve you. This is normal, and it does not mean your domain is with another company. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-whois-domain-lookup\/\">What is WHOIS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Who do you contact about a problem?<\/h2>\n<p>Always contact <b>Hyyat Host<\/b> through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/open-support-ticket\/\">support ticket<\/a>, for renewal, transfer, suspension or email verification. We follow up with the registrar and registry for you, so you do not need to contact them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"hkb-note\"><b>Example:<\/b> A client received a verification email that mentioned ICANN and a registrar name he did not know, and thought it was a scam. He opened a ticket, and we confirmed it was a genuine email from the registrar of his domain.<\/div>\n<h2>What about Saudi domains?<\/h2>\n<p>The .sa extension has its own registry, the Saudi Network Information Center, and is registered through accredited registration agents. Read Accredited registration agents for Saudi domains.<\/p>\n<div class=\"hkb-hh\">\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>ICANN sets the rules, and the registry runs the extension.<\/li>\n<li>The registrar registers the domain in your name, and the reseller serves you.<\/li>\n<li>You are the owner, and Hyyat Host is your only point of contact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin:10px 0 0\">See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/advantages-of-domain-reservation-at-hyyat-host\/\">why register your domain with Hyyat Host<\/a>, and search on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/domain-availability-check\/\">domain availability check<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"hkb-faq\">\n<details>\n<summary>What is the difference between a registry and a registrar?<\/summary>\n<p>A registry runs a whole extension such as .com, and a registrar is an accredited company that registers domains in that registry for their owners.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is ICANN?<\/summary>\n<p>A global body that sets the general rules for generic domains and accredits registrars. One of its rules is verifying the domain owner email.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Why does WHOIS show a company other than Hyyat Host?<\/summary>\n<p>Because WHOIS shows the accredited registrar that actually registers the domain, and Hyyat Host works with it to serve you.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Who owns my domain?<\/summary>\n<p>You do, as the owner registered in the domain contact details.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Who do I contact about a domain problem?<\/summary>\n<p>Hyyat Host through a support ticket. We follow up with the registrar and registry for you.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hkb-rel\"><b>Related guides<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-whois-domain-lookup\/\">What Is WHOIS? How to Look Up Any Domain and Its Expiry Date<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/pending-icann-verification\/\">Domain Owner Email Verification and &#8220;Pending ICANN Verification&#8221;: What to Do<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-a-domain-name\/\">What Is a Domain Name? Meaning, Extensions and How It Works<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/domain-privacy-whois\/\">Domain Privacy: What People Can See About Your Domain, and What Is Hidden<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/kb\/internet-domains\/\">All internet domain guides \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In shortYour domain passes through a chain of four parties: ICANN sets the general rules, the registry runs the extension such as .com or .sa, an accredited registrar registers the domain in your name, and a reseller like Hyyat Host gives you the service and support. You deal only with Hyyat Host, and we follow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"doc_category":[2752],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-19124","docs","type-docs","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","doc_category-internet-domains"],"year_month":"2026-11","word_count":654,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"admin","author_nicename":"admin","author_url":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/author\/admin\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Internet Domains","term_url":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/kb\/internet-domains\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"knowledge_base_info":[],"knowledge_base_slug":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/19124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/19124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=19124"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyyat.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=19124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}