NOC.org is a collection of networking tools and services designed to make a network administrator’s life a bit easier. At its core is an Authoritative DNS service. Great—but what exactly is an authoritative DNS service, and where does it fit in the broader domain ecosystem?
To answer that well, we need a quick foundation. Let’s separate the roles of Registries, Registrars, and DNS (we’ll dive deeper into Authoritative DNS in a separate article).
What’s the Difference?
Every time you purchase a new domain (e.g., noc.org), you—often unknowingly—interact with all three layers.
Registry
A registry manages a Top-Level Domain (TLD)—think .com, .net, .org, or country codes like .us and .ca. Registries maintain the master database of all domain names registered under their TLD and the associated DNS information.
There are three common types of TLDs:
| Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Generic TLDs (gTLDs) | Most recognized and widely used TLDs. | .com, .org, .net |
| Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs) | Managed under specific eligibility rules by a sponsor organization. | .gov, .edu, .museum |
| Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) | Reserved for countries or territories. | .us, .ca, .co, .in |
Registrar
A registrar sells and manages domain registrations for end users. Examples include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and others. Registrars connect to registries to check availability and register domains on your behalf.
The relationship between registries and registrars is overseen by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), a non-profit that coordinates unique identifiers on the internet and ensures the registration system functions reliably.
Domain Name System (DNS)
The Domain Name System is the phonebook of the internet. Instead of memorizing IP addresses (e.g., 178.65.78.4), users type readable names (e.g., yourdomain.com) and DNS handles the translation.
DNS has multiple components working in sequence. Here’s the TL;DR of who does what:
| Type | Description | Layman’s Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recursive Resolver | Finds answers on behalf of clients by querying the DNS hierarchy. | Your gateway to the web. It doesn’t “know” domains by default—it’s great at asking around to find the right answer. | CleanBrowsing |
| Root Nameserver | Authoritative for the root zone—points resolvers to the correct TLD servers. | The first stop—tells your resolver where to find the TLD (like .com) servers. |
Operated by organizations like Verisign, ICANN, etc. |
| TLD Nameserver | Authoritative for a specific TLD (e.g., .com, .net). |
Keeps track of which authoritative servers know about each domain under that TLD. | Various registry operators |
| Authoritative Nameserver | Holds the definitive DNS records for a domain. | Knows the final answer (e.g., example.com → 192.0.2.10). |
NOC Authoritative DNS |
Why This Matters
The “simple” act of loading a website hides a lot of moving parts. Each layer—especially the recursive resolver and your authoritative nameserver—gives you powerful control over performance, policy, and resilience.
For example, with a recursive resolver (like CleanBrowsing) an organization can enforce acceptable-use policies. With an authoritative DNS provider (like NOC), a domain owner can control routing, failover, CDN/WAF integration, and more—all independent of where the domain was purchased.
A common misconception is that control stops at your registrar. Not true. You can register a domain with one company and manage DNS with another. Our goal at NOC is to demystify this stack and help you unlock your domain’s full potential.
NOC — Authoritative DNS, CDN & WAF
Accelerate and protect your sites with global DNS, edge caching, and an always-on web application firewall.
See Plans