.biz

Q: What is .biz used for?

A restricted gTLD intended exclusively for business use. Launched in 2001 as an alternative to .com, it remains moderately popular among small businesses and startups.

Q: Who can register a .biz domain?

Must be used for bona fide business purposes.

Q: Who manages the .biz top-level domain?

The .biz TLD is managed by Identity Digital (formerly Neustar), which is responsible for the registry operations and maintaining the zone file.

Abstract

Bona fide business use is a formal condition of registration under .biz, one of the few generic extensions to carry an enforceable purpose restriction. Identity Digital, which inherited the registry from Neustar, operates roughly 1.4 million domains. The extension launched in 2001 as an explicit alternative to .com at a moment when short .com strings were already scarce. It never displaced its target, but it retains steady use among small businesses and early-stage companies that value the unambiguous commercial signal.