Registrar — Καταχωρητής
The company from which you buy/renew domains. Different from the registry.
What is a Registrar
A Registrar is the company from which you buy and renew domains. It acts as an intermediary between you and the registry — the organization that manages the TLD.
Registrar vs Registry — the Difference
| Registrar | Registry |
|---|---|
| Retail — sells domains to you | Wholesale — manages the entire TLD |
| Examples: dnhost.gr, GoDaddy, Namecheap, OVH, Cloudflare Registrar | Examples: ICS-FORTH (.gr), Verisign (.com, .net), Public Interest Registry (.org) |
| Accredited by ICANN and/or the TLD registry | Appointed by ICANN (gTLDs) or the government (ccTLDs) |
What the Registrar Does for You
- Registers your domain in the registry's database
- Collects ownership details (WHOIS data)
- Provides a UI for management: nameservers, DNS records, transfers
- Handles renewals, transfers, and changes
- Usually also offers additional services: hosting, email, SSL, privacy protection
How to Choose a Registrar
- Price — varies significantly (€10/year vs €40/year for the same .com)
- Accreditation for your TLD — for .gr you need a registrar accredited by ICS-FORTH (or use a reseller)
- UI quality — some panels are outdated, others are modern
- Privacy protection — free or paid WHOIS masking
- Transfer policy — if you want to leave tomorrow, how easy is it?
- DNSSEC support — all serious registrars support it today
- 2FA / security — mandatory 2FA, registrar lock, alerts
Important Best Practices
- Enable 2FA on your registrar account.
- Enable "registrar lock" (
clientTransferProhibited) — prevents unauthorized transfers. - Keep your contact email up to date — that is where expiration warnings will be sent.
- Auto-renew for critical domains — don't wake up to find your domain belongs to someone else.
- Keep billing separate from hosting — if you leave your hosting provider, don't lose your domain too.