Exactly 15 years ago today, RcodeZero’s first DNS customer signed up. Celebrating 15 years of RcodeZero DNS, the Anycast service has grown from a small internal project at nic.at into a globally trusted DNS platform serving more than 20 TLDs worldwide. Built on continuous development and a strong customer-first mindset, the service has established itself as a reliable partner for European registries. A key pillar of this success story: long-standing partnerships with Top-Level Domain (TLD) registries.

At the beginning, success was far from guaranteed. More than a decade ago, nic.at was among the first registries to develop and offer its own Anycast DNS service, breaking new ground in the industry. “It was new territory for us,” recalls CEO Robert Schischka. “But the response was very positive from the very beginning.” Shortly after launch, Hungary’s ccTLD .hu became the first customer to implement RcodeZero DNS. This early milestone marked the beginning of a steady influx of registry customers and validated the idea that a registry-operated Anycast service could compete on an international level.

“We were looking for a partner who understands the specific requirements of a TLD registry,” says Csaba Bodor, Managing Director of ISZT, the Hungarian registry. “RcodeZero DNS convinced us with its technical expertise as well as nic.at’s good reputation as a reliable and stable registry within the industry.”

Built by a registry, for registries

One of the defining strengths of RcodeZero DNS lies in its origin: It was built by a registry that understands the unique requirements of other registries. “We know what registries need because we are a registry ourselves,” emphasizes Schischka. This perspective has proven to be a decisive advantage. Rather than offering a generic solution, the Anycast service is tailored to the operational realities of TLD operators, combining technical expertise with practical experience. The result is a service that integrates seamlessly into registry environments and supports their specific demands for stability, security, and scalability.

Klaus Darilion, DNS expert and mastermind behind RcodeZero DNS, highlights this holistic approach: “We offer a complete package: Not only DNS, but also insights of what happens in the DNS. Giving our customers detailed statistics about the DNS traffic is an important feature and necessary to understand how DNS traffic evolves and how registries and TLD operators have to adopt to the constantly changing traffic patterns.”

Winning the trust of major European TLDs

Today, RcodeZero DNS operates in a competitive landscape. Instead of trying to match other Anycast providers in size, ipcom focuses on what truly matters to its customers: service quality and proximity. “We offer a 24/7 emergency hotline, direct contact persons and no anonymous call centers,” explains Christian Schöpp, Product Owner. “That makes a real difference.” Over the years, numerous high-profile registries, especially from Western Europe, have chosen RcodeZero DNS as one of their secondary Anycast providers and rely on the service to secure their critical infrastructure. “We are very pleased that we have been able to win such large TLDs as customers,” says Robert Schischka. “These zones are significantly larger than our own .at zone. The selection processes are extensive and demanding, with detailed criteria to fulfill. The fact that they chose us shows that trust and quality ultimately prevail.”

“For us, reliability, European data protection standards and a trustworthy partnership are essential,” says Peter Janssen, General Manager of EURid. “RcodeZero DNS delivers on all of these aspects and stands out through its flexibility and direct collaboration.”

These long-term partnerships with TLDs are a strong endorsement of the service’s reliability and performance. As RcodeZero DNS continues to grow, its commitment remains unchanged: to provide registry-grade DNS services that combine technical excellence with exceptional customer care. For TLD operators seeking a partner who understands their world, responds quickly, and continuously evolves alongside them, RcodeZero DNS has proven to be exactly that: A trusted partner in a critical part of the internet’s infrastructure.

>> Read more about the milestones of RcodeZero DNS