{"id":3756,"date":"2021-11-30T10:28:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T09:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=3756"},"modified":"2024-05-29T14:44:27","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T12:44:27","slug":"dns-belgium-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-do","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/kb\/dns-belgium-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-do\/","title":{"rendered":"DNS Belgium: what is it, and what does it do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Anyone who wants to register a domain name can do this very easily via a provider such as Combell: all you have to do is check whether your domain is still available, register it, and you are done! But behind the scenes, many organisations are working hard to satisfy your wishes. If you want to register a domain name with extensions like .be, .vlaanderen or .brussels, for instance, you have to go through DNS Belgium. You must be wondering what DNS Belgium is\u2026 Well, we were just about to tell you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ht-block-toc  is-style-outline htoc htoc--position-wide toc-list-style-plain\" data-htoc-state=\"expanded\"><span class=\"htoc__title\"><span class=\"ht_toc_title\">IN THIS ARTICLE<\/span><span class=\"htoc__toggle\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\"><g fill=\"#444\"><path d=\"M15 7H1c-.6 0-1 .4-1 1s.4 1 1 1h14c.6 0 1-.4 1-1s-.4-1-1-1z\"><\/path><path d=\"M15 1H1c-.6 0-1 .4-1 1s.4 1 1 1h14c.6 0 1-.4 1-1s-.4-1-1-1zM15 13H1c-.6 0-1 .4-1 1s.4 1 1 1h14c.6 0 1-.4 1-1s-.4-1-1-1z\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/span><\/span><div class=\"htoc__itemswrap\"><ul class=\"ht_toc_list\"><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-wat-is-dns-belgium\">What is DNS Belgium?<\/a><ul class=\"ht_toc_child_list\"><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-wat-is-het-verschil-tussen-dns-belgium-amp-een-registrar-of-domeinprovider\">What is the difference between DNS Belgium and a registrar or domain provider?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-faq-over-dns-belgium\">FAQ about DNS Belgium<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-wat-is-dns-belgium\"><strong><strong>What is DNS Belgium?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-registry\">Registry<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>DNS Belgium (previously known as dns.be) is a Belgian non-profit organisation in charge of the domain extensions (&#8216;<em>Top-Level Domains<\/em>&#8216; or&nbsp;<em>TLDs<\/em>) .be, .vlaanderen and .brussels. Such an organisation that manages TLDs is called a&nbsp;<strong>registry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Other examples of registries are:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidn.nl\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SIDN<\/a> &#8211; for extensions such as <strong>.nl<\/strong> and <strong>.amsterdam<\/strong><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verisign.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Verisign<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 for extensions such as <strong>.com<\/strong> and <strong>.net<\/strong><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/donuts.domains\/\" target=\"_blank\">Donuts<\/a> &#8211; for extensions such as <strong>.immo<\/strong>, <strong>.movie, .golf <\/strong>and many others<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">Combell<\/a> &#8211; for <strong>.gent<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8216;DNS&#8217; in DNS Belgium stands for Domain Name System. This is the system that ensures that every Internet user arrives at the right website when he or she enters a domain name into a browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone who wants to register a domain name ending in .be, .vlaanderen or .brussels has to go through the DNS Belgium registry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.dnsbelgium.be\/2019-03\/Logo-HighRes.jpg?auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;ixlib=php-1.1.0&amp;q=65&amp;w=640&amp;s=00bc6986ce243955bce51995c588f498\" alt=\"DNS Belgium is de registry voor .be, .brussels en .vlaanderen.      \u00a9 DNS Belgium\" width=\"160\" height=\"177\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-registrar\">Registrar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As an &#8216;ordinary person&#8217;, you cannot approach a registry yourself: you have to go through a&nbsp;<strong><em>registrar<\/em><\/strong>. A registrar is an official domain name seller that has to meet strict requirements. Combell is such a registrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a customer wants to register a domain name, he must contact a registrar, such as Combell. Then, Combell contacts the registry (in this case, DNS Belgium) on behalf of its customers to register the domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-wat-doet-dns-belgium\"><strong>What does DNS Belgium do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned above, DNS Belgium manages the Belgian TLDs&nbsp;<strong>.be, .vlaanderen and .brussels<\/strong>. It handles all aspects related to the management of these domain extensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two main functions of a registry such as DNS Belgium are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>To maintain a list of data about the domain name holder, such as name and address, for each domain name.<\/strong>&nbsp;This way, every domain name can be clearly linked to a specific person or organisation. A registry also keeps track of all the technical information, like name servers.<strong>&nbsp;A registry thus knows exactly which domain names lead to which websites.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>To ensure that every Internet user arrives at the right place<\/strong>&nbsp;and sees the right website when he or she enters an address into a browser or clicks on a link. A registry also ensures that e-mails are delivered to the right person. Via the Domain Name System, domain names are converted into IP addresses: this way, all traffic is directed to the right place.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In short: DNS Belgium makes sure that Internet traffic is secure and stable by keeping all the information about registered domain names up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/kb\/what-is-a-domain-name-and-how-does-it-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read more about how domain names work!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-wat-is-het-verschil-tussen-dns-belgium-amp-een-registrar-of-domeinprovider\"><strong>What is the difference between DNS Belgium and a registrar or domain provider?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DNS Belgium manages domain names, but does not sell them: you have to buy your domain name from a domain provider (or&nbsp;<em>registrar<\/em>) such as Combell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-faq-over-dns-belgium\">FAQ about DNS Belgium<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b1920c\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Is DNS Belgium a public company?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>DNS Belgium is not a public company, but an independent non-profit organisation.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b1920d\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Which domain extensions does DNS Belgium manage?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>DNS Belgium is in charge of\u00a0<strong>.be, .vlaanderen and .brussels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b1920e\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Is DNS Belgium the official registry for Belgium?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. Each country has its own country code (a\u00a0<em>Country Code Top-Level Domain<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>ccTLD<\/em>), and each country code is managed by an official registry. In Belgium, that is DNS Belgium, in the Netherlands, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidn.nl\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SIDN<\/a>, etc.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b1920f\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Can I buy a website or domain name from DNS Belgium?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>You cannot buy a website or domain name from DNS Belgium. For a\u00a0<strong>domain name<\/strong>, you can turn to a\u00a0<em>registrar<\/em> such as Combell.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Combell also rents space on its servers to store your website. Because for a\u00a0<strong>website<\/strong>, you need three things:<br \/>&#8211; a domain name<br \/>&#8211; web hosting to host your website or a website builder such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/sitebuilder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Combell&#8217;s SiteBuilder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/hosting\/web-hosting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Check out Combell&#8217;s web hosting services here!<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b19210\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Can I register a .com (or .nl, .de, .fr, .eu, etc.) domain name with DNS Belgium?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No, you cannot buy any domain name from DNS Belgium. This organisation only handles the management of the extensions .be, .vlaanderen and .brussels.<\/p>\n<p>In order to buy these, you need to get in touch with a registrar such as Combell. Other domain names, such as .com or .nl, can also be purchased from Combell.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/domain-names\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to find out if the domain name you want is still available!<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b19211\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong><strong>What does &#8216;whois&#8217; mean?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The whois (pronounced &#8216;who is&#8217;) of a domain name is a list of all the general information available on that domain name. You can use the whois tool to find out who is behind a particular domain name.<\/p>\n<p>Try looking up a domain name<a href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/whois\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0using Combell&#8217;s whois tool<\/a>! It won&#8217;t bite you. \ud83d\ude0f<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6657232b19212\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Where can I find the whois information of .be domain names?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/nl\/whois\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/whois\" target=\"_blank\">Combell provides its own whois tool<\/a>\u00a0to find whois information, but for some domains, you need to use the tool of the corresponding registry.\u00a0For .vlaanderen, .be, or .brussels, you should e.g. use the whois tool provided by <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dns.be\/\" target=\"_blank\">DNS Belgium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone who wants to register a domain name can do this very easily via a provider such as Combell: all you have to do is check whether your domain is still available, register it, and you are done! But behind the scenes, many organisations are working hard to satisfy your&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[365],"ht-kb-tag":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/3756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ht_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3756"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/3756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4329,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/3756\/revisions\/4329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-category?post=3756"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-tag?post=3756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}