What is .nextdirect?
Brand TLDs operate under Specification 13 of ICANN's registry agreement. It lets a trademark owner keep every second-level name for itself, so you won't find .nextdirect names for sale at any registrar.
ICANN's records put the delegation of .nextdirect on May 3, 2016. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on June 18, 2015.
Next plc also runs one other TLD, including .next.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 4 name servers for .nextdirect, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .nextdirect haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.nextdirect).
Same registry, other endings
1 other TLD shares this operator.
.nextdirect FAQ
What country is .nextdirect?
None. .nextdirect is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .nextdirect domain extension?
Next plc operates .nextdirect as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .nextdirect created?
.nextdirect was delegated to the DNS root zone on May 3, 2016.
Is .nextdirect a valid domain?
Yes. .nextdirect is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2016, so .nextdirect addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .nextdirect domain?
No. .nextdirect is a brand TLD under ICANN Specification 13, so names are reserved for Next plc.
Is .nextdirect DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .nextdirect.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 11, 2023. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
