What is an RIR?

A Regional Internet Registry administers IP address and ASN registrations for a geographic service region. The five RIRs are ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, and AFRINIC.

In lookup results

Open IP Information Lookup, enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address in IP address, complete any required verification, and select Search. Confirm the target in Basic information, then find RIR under RDAP / WHOIS registration. Read it alongside Network range and Registered organization in that section. An address without public registration data or a failed lookup may show no RIR; that alone does not prove no organization administers it.

The RIR shown by NetKarte is derived from the IANA RDAP bootstrap service selected for the address. It is not necessarily the user's ISP or current location.

Different from GeoIP

RIR registration details and GeoIP estimates serve different purposes. NetKarte displays them separately rather than merging both into one country field.

Separate RIR, ASN, and operator

An RIR administers number resources; an ASN identifies a network with a shared routing policy; the operator names an organization associated with the IP. Many unrelated companies use resources registered through the same RIR.

An illustrative result with APNIC as RIR and another company as organization is not contradictory. APNIC is not thereby the user's internet subscription provider.

Continue the investigation

In IP lookup, confirm the target and registered range, then read the organization and any published abuse contact. If a contact is missing, consult official RIR information rather than guessing. A registry's name or service region cannot establish location, nationality, or safety.