RIRer

RIRer is a term used to describe a participant or stakeholder in the Regional Internet Registry system. The five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are AFRINIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and RIPE NCC. They are non-profit organizations responsible for the allocation and management of IP address resources and related registries within their respective regions. A RIRer may be an internet service provider, data center operator, academic institution, government agency, or individual network engineer who obtains, allocates, or manages IP address resources and maintains accurate registration data in accordance with regional policies.

Activities commonly associated with RIRers include applying for IPv4 and IPv6 allocations, conducting address space planning and IP address management (IPAM), maintaining reverse DNS and WHOIS information, and participating in policy development processes within their regional registry. RIRers may engage in community discussions, propose policy changes, contribute to technical forums, and participate in elections or governance activities where applicable. The term is informal and its usage varies by region and community emphasis; some contexts highlight operational management of resources, while others emphasize active involvement in policy-making.

History and governance: The RIR system originated in the early 1990s to replace centralized IP address management and to support scalable, fair distribution. Each RIR operates under global coordination with ICANN and through regional policy development processes to reflect local needs and conditions.

See also: IP address, IPv4 exhaustion, ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC, IP address management.