Data Sources
This is the detailed page for the automatic scripts, feeds, and source systems behind our content and live tools. Some parts of the product are updated from live protocol queries. Others are refreshed through internal scripts and then reviewed editorially against registry, registrar, and policy sources.
Primary-source bias
We prefer registry operators, protocol-level responses, official policy documents, and partner APIs over third-party summaries when feeding scripts or reviewing content changes.
Mix of live and editorial data
Lookup tools and marketplace searches are live. Guides, restrictions, and recommendations are refreshed through a mix of scripts and manual review.
Scripts support maintenance
Internal scripts help with maintenance and data refreshes, but public recommendation claims are still reviewed manually.
How to read this page
A source listed here does not automatically mean every field is refreshed continuously. Some data is queried live on request, while some is pulled by scripts into local content models and then reviewed when we update an article or tool.
If a claim here is challenged, we re-check the relevant primary source before editing the public page. That includes registry policies, registrar terms, and protocol-level responses such as RDAP or WHOIS.
TLD and registry reference data
These are the public registries, policy documents, and machine-readable feeds used to keep TLD coverage, registry names, and launch metadata current.
| Source | Used For | Update Method | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IANA Root Zone Database and TLD alpha list | Authoritative TLD existence checks, IANA links, and completeness comparisons. | Automated comparison and validation scripts plus manual editorial review. | Checked during data refreshes and audits. | Used by the local `compare-with-iana` and registrar update pipeline. |
| ICANN launch and sunrise data exports | Sunrise dates, claims periods, delegation timing, and historical launch schedule updates. | Pulled by internal update scripts and merged into local data after review. | Periodic refreshes when launch metadata is updated. | Used for `sunrise_start`, `sunrise_end`, and related launch fields. |
| Registry operator sites and policy documents | Registration restrictions, registry descriptions, pricing context, and ccTLD eligibility notes. | Manual editorial research from operator-run sources. | As individual TLD pages are reviewed or challenged by users. | This includes registry-specific sources such as MYNIC for `.my` policy details. |
Registrar and recommendation research
Recommendation pages are handwritten and verified. They are based on our own experience, end-user research, community sentiment, and direct source checks when a claim needs verification.
| Source | Used For | Update Method | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hands-on registrar testing | Overall recommendations, UX judgments, onboarding flow quality, DNS usability, and account-management friction. | Direct product use and manual editorial comparison. | Whenever recommendation pages are refreshed. | This is the foundation for the recommendation pages. Rankings are not generated from a script or a single feed. |
| End-user research and community sentiment | Support reputation, recurring complaints, edge-case pain points, and long-term trust signals. | Manual editorial review of user feedback and industry discussions. | Reviewed during recommendation updates and corrections. | Community sentiment informs recommendations but does not override direct verification when claims are disputed. |
| Registrar pricing pages, product docs, and legal terms | Pricing checks, feature verification, policy analysis, and recommendation removals when terms materially change. | Manual verification against primary registrar sources. | When policies materially change. | Used to verify concrete claims, not to auto-generate recommendation content. |
Domain lookup, monitoring, and tools
Live lookup features use protocol-level data sources and public infrastructure rather than editorially maintained copies.
| Source | Used For | Update Method | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDAP endpoints and registry bootstrap data | Structured domain ownership, status, registrar, and nameserver lookups. | Live lookups via backend services. | Real time on request. | RDAP is the preferred source, with fallback where coverage is incomplete. |
| WHOIS servers | Fallback lookups for TLDs or registries where RDAP is incomplete or unavailable. | Live protocol lookups via backend services. | Real time on request. | Used for lookup history, monitoring, and compatibility coverage. |
| Cloudflare DNS-over-HTTPS and related DNS infrastructure | DNS tool output and DNS-related checks. | Live passthrough requests. | Real time on request. | Used by the domain tools routes for DNS lookups. |
| Wayback Machine passthrough worker | Historical snapshots and archive timeline tooling. | Live tool requests. | Real time on request. | Exposed through the tools routes rather than stored as editorial content. |
Marketplace and pricing feeds
Marketplace and pricing features use partner APIs and public marketplace endpoints, not hand-maintained listing databases.
| Source | Used For | Update Method | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedo, Dynadot, NameSilo, Afternic, Atom, Unstoppable Domains, and DomainMarket integrations | Aftermarket listing discovery, price comparisons, and marketplace result pages. | Backend API integrations and marketplace-specific parsers. | Real time on search. | Coverage depends on the partner or public endpoint for each marketplace. |
| Namecheap API | Availability-aware pricing checks and premium-vs-standard domain pricing logic. | Backend API integration. | Real time on lookup. | Used by the pricing service for domain and TLD pricing lookups. |
Editorial maintenance and change tracking
Not every update is API-driven. Public change pages summarize meaningful editorial changes and script-assisted maintenance that affect published content.
| Source | Used For | Update Method | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internal update scripts and generated reports | TLD comparisons, link checks, registry and registrar refreshes, and script-assisted maintenance reports. | Local scripts plus manual editorial review of generated outputs. | On demand during maintenance cycles. | Scripts can suggest or apply structural content updates, but public claims are still reviewed before recommendation or policy language changes. |
| User feedback and correction requests | Fact corrections, source re-checks, and policy updates triggered by reader reports. | Manual follow-up against primary sources. | As feedback arrives. | When a source claim is disputed, we re-check the primary registry or operator source before updating content. |
Recent published change markers
The overview below is pulled from our transparency changelog. For the timeline-only view, see the changes page.
Accessibility pass and reference-data refresh
Site-wide accessibility overhaul for readability: added dark mode support across pages and components that previously rendered as light-on-light or dark-on-dark, bumped low-contrast grey body text to meet WCAG AA in light mode, and fixed the navigation bar and page-wide gradient wrappers that were leaving backgrounds light when dark mode was active. The public registrar and registry reference datasets and search index were also refreshed from source.
Academy tracks, KB articles, and content-wide data reconciliation
Comprehensive Academy and Knowledge Base overhaul: restructured all 6 Academy tracks for better learning progression, rewrote 84 KB articles to value-first format (concise lesson content up top, deep-dive reference material below), reconciled conflicting statistics across 30+ articles (.com registrations, market share, TLD counts, Cloudflare pricing, registry lock costs), removed all stale Dan.com references (shut down June 2025) from 37 files, updated Google Domains references to Squarespace Domains across 35+ files, updated the ICANN 2026 gTLD application round page with confirmed dates (April 30 – August 12, 2026) and ASP results, and added GoDaddy February 2026 ToS change context to pricing references.
Registrar guides and recommendation pages
Registrar recommendation pages were reviewed together, ranking language was aligned, and the public explanation pages for recommendation changes were expanded.
Registrar, accreditation, and TLD reference data
Public reference datasets were refreshed to capture registrar accreditation changes, terminated registrar status updates, and TLD sample-domain and restriction fixes.