EPP Protocol
The Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) is the standard application-layer protocol for allocating objects within registries over the Internet. While primarily used for domain names, it can also manage contacts and host objects.
The Actors
Section titled “The Actors”Client (Registrar)
Section titled “Client (Registrar)”The Registrar acts as the EPP Client. They send XML commands to create, update, renew, or delete domain names based on customer requests.
Registrar What is a Domain Name Registrar?
Server (Registry)
Section titled “Server (Registry)”The Registry acts as the EPP Server. It processes the commands, validates logic (e.g., “is this domain available?”), updates the central database, and returns success or error responses.
Registry What is a Domain Name Registry?
The Protocol Mechanism
Section titled “The Protocol Mechanism”EPP uses XML messages transported over TCP, secured by TLS. It is a stateful protocol, meaning a session is established (Login) before commands are executed.
Common EPP commands include:
<check>: Verify availability.<create>: Register a new object.<info>: Retrieve object details.<transfer>: Initiate a registrar transfer.<poll>: Retrieve asynchronous notifications from the Registry.