.net is one of the original top-level domains[2] (the other six beingcom,org,edu,gov,mil, andarpa) despite not being mentioned in RFC 920, having been created in January 1985.
Verisign, the operator ofnet after acquiringNetwork Solutions, held an operations contract that expired on 30 June 2005.ICANN, the organization responsible for domain management, sought proposals from organizations to operate the domain upon expiration of the contract. Verisign regained the contract bid and secured its control over thenet registry for another six years.On 30 June 2011, the contract with Verisign was automatically renewed for another six years. This is because of a resolution approved by the ICANN board, which states that renewal will be automatic as long as Verisign meets certain ICANN requirements.[3] As of Feb 2025, Verisign continues to manage .net.[4]
The first created .net domain name is nordu.net. It was created on 1 January 1985 according to the public records, andNORDUnet has used this domain name since 1985.[6]
As of 2025, it is the fourth most popular top-level domain, after.com,.cn and.de.[7]
