.ee zone file

Public .ee zone file

What is a zone file?

The zone file is essentially
a text file containing information about the domain name and related services, including name servers. In order for the domain-related services to be found on the Internet and to be used, information about them must be in the zone file.

Access to .ee zone file

The data in the zone file is public by nature, and is available as a set in the zone file. The file is downloadable via the AXFR protocol on the address zone.internet.ee. For example dig @zone.internet.ee ee. axfr > zone.ee

If you want your domain name not to be found in the zone file

In order for a domain name not to be found in the .ee zone file, it must be registered without name servers or the records must be removed from an existing domain name.

It is Estonian Internet Foundation's responsibility to ensure that DNS, name server service, would be accessible to all users. EIF technically ensures this through the availability of the .ee zone file. As one of the principles in the EIF is transparency, we decided to make the zone file available as of July 5, 2019.

1. Is the .ee zone file a list of domain names?

The zone file contains information about domain names and related services, including name servers
but it may not be an exhaustive list of .ee domains.

If the domain name is registered without name servers, or the records have been removed from an existing domain name, i.e., there are no serving name servers, then the domain name does not exist in the zone file. The file also does not contain domains that are in the deletion proceedings (when name server records are blocked).

2. Do zone files contain personal data?

There is no confidential information in the zone file - the information we publish in this file is necessary for the domain name to function at a technical level.

The zone file contains the IP addresses of the name servers that serve the domain names. Due to the nature of a name server, such IP addresses are infrastructure IP addresses, not personal IP addresses. The IP addresses in the zone files are considered public IP addresses or infrastructure addresses (which also include web servers, routers, and other devices that are part of the Internet infrastructure). The IP addresses known to the EIF help us to ensure the implementation of the core assignment of the EIF, which is to ensure the availability of .ee domain names through the name server service. Consequently, the disclosed IP addresses are not treated as confidential data. In addition to the information provided by DNS, we also publish information about the domain name through our WHOIS service.

3. Won’t an accessible zone file increase the volume of spam?

Although .ee zone file as a whole was not accessible before, with some technical knowledge it was possible to put it together using public data on the internet. Making the zone file public will likely not affect the volume of spam.

4. What do I have to do if I wish to register a secret domain name?

Not all registered .ee domains can be found in the zone file. In order for a domain name not to be found in the .ee zone file, it must be registered without name servers or the entries must be removed from an existing domain name. Note, however, that if the domain name is not in the zone, it is not possible to use services related to the domain name.

If you want to enter the market with some new products, brands, campaigns and you need to keep the domain name secret and not public for as long as possible. It is not always sensible to bring the brands and temporary campaigns to the public in advance. When you register without a name server, you can register a domain, but the domain is not yet available on the Internet and cannot be found by others.

5. How up to date is the information in the zone file?

The zone file is updated in every ten minutes, so you always have access to the latest information.

6. How to download the zone file?

The file is downloadable using the AXFR protocol on the address zone.internet.ee. For example: dig @zone.internet.ee ee. axfr > zone.ee

The content of the zone is protected by copyright (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International). In case of any misuse of the service or violation of the licence terms, EIF shall have the right to block the problematic IP address and take back the right to use the data. EIF will evaluate the
problems and misuse cases and holds the right to make decisions about blocking or denying access to the file. Should you need any help do not hesitate to contact us at info@internet.ee.