.host domain names: registry, rules and lifecycle

Who actually owns .host? The IANA root database lists Radix Technologies Inc., with a Cayman Islands address, as the sponsoring organisation. ICANN's registry agreement page, for an agreement dated 17 April 2014, names Radix Technologies Inc SEZC as Operator (IANA, ICANN). IANA's reports show how it got there: delegation to DotHost Inc. in 2014, transfer to Radix FZC in 2021, then to Radix Technologies Inc. in 2024.

The technical side has moved recently. In August 2025 Tucows announced that Tucows Registry had won the contract to run back-end registry services for Radix's portfolio, and the announcement lists .host among Radix's extensions, with migration expected in November 2025 (Tucows). The IANA record now lists Tucows.com, Co. as technical contact, on trs-dns name servers. Radix's own policies page still says registry functions are supported by CentralNic Ltd (Radix), so that page looks out of date rather than contradictory.

Strip away the corporate layers and it works like this: Radix, the registry, sets the rules and the pricing tiers for .host. ICANN sits above that as the policy authority holding the contract. A registrar, such as one listed on get.host's registrar page, sells and administers the name on your behalf. And the registrant is you, the person or organisation whose details go into the registration record.

Radix's Launch Policy says that once the launch phases are over, any interested party may register any available name on a first-come, first-served basis (Radix). There is no requirement to prove you run a hosting business, and ICANN lists the .host agreement as Base, Non-Sponsored rather than tied to a sponsoring community (ICANN). No .host-specific eligibility rule turned up in the sources checked for this guide.

The same policy describes a Sunrise Phase for trademark holders and a Landrush Phase before general availability, both with a one-year minimum registration term. Those windows belong to the launch. With an IANA registration date in 2014 and the registry selling names publicly today, a registration now goes through general availability.

One registry-level rule is worth flagging: Radix places some names in separate "Pricing Tiers" with their own registration, renewal, transfer and redemption fees, and can move names between tiers subject to the notice periods in its registry-registrar agreement. That is a registry rule, not something your registrar made up. If a particular name looks oddly expensive, check whether it sits in a premium tier before assuming it is a mistake. Registrars may add their own account checks, but those are registrar practice, not registry policy.

.host is an ICANN gTLD, so transfers follow ICANN's Transfer Policy: your current registrar issues an authorisation code, and a 60-day lock typically follows initial registration, a registrar transfer, or a change of registrant. Radix's Launch Policy sets a one-year minimum term for Sunrise and Landrush registrations, but the sources checked do not list a separate minimum or maximum term for general availability. Confirm the renewal length with your registrar before you buy.

Some .host names sit in what Radix calls "Pricing Tiers", where registration, transfer, redemption and renewal are each priced separately and can be updated at Radix's discretion within its registry-registrar agreement. A name in one of these tiers can renew at a higher price than a standard name. Radix does not publish a list of tiered names; its policy says registrars request that list from their account managers, so ask before you pay.

What happens after expiry, the length of any grace period, the redemption window and the fee to restore a lapsed name, is not set out in the IANA, ICANN or Radix pages checked for this guide. That is a real gap, and it is worth asking your registrar directly rather than assuming a standard industry timeline applies.