---
id: "registry-operator"
kind: "glossary-term"
title: "registry operator"
language: "en"
category: "Industry roles and organizations"
updated: "2026-10-04T14:01:23Z"
canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/registry-operator/"
translations:
  es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/operador-registro/"
  de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/registry-betreiber/"
  fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/operateur-registre/"
  it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/gestore-registro/"
  pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/operador-registro/"
  ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/operator-reestra/"
  zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/zhuce-guanli-yunxing-jigou/"
---

# registry operator

The organization that holds the contract or mandate to run a TLD and sets its rules, such as who may register and at what wholesale price. For a gTLD this is a Registry Agreement with ICANN, and for a ccTLD a local framework. It may hire a back-end provider to run the registry's technical system.

## related terms

- [registry](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registry/)
- [Registry Agreement](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registry-agreement/)
- [back-end provider](https://tldlog.com/glossary/back-end-provider/)
- [ccTLD manager](https://tldlog.com/glossary/cctld-manager/)