.ee zone file

Public .ee zone file

What is a zone file?

A zone file is essentially a text file, and it contains the technical DNS information for a domain on each authoritative name server. The existence of information about the domain in the zone file is necessary so that the services related to the domain can be found and used on the Internet.

Access to .ee zone file

The data contained in the zone file is public in nature and is available in the zone file as a collection displayed in the database. The file can be downloaded via the AXFR protocol from 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 the domain not to be included in the .ee zone file, it must be registered without name server records or the records must be removed from an already existing domain.

The zone file is essentially a text file, and it contains the technical DNS information for a domain on each authoritative name server. Authoritative name servers provide information about the delegation of domain names, and a zone is a file that contains complete DNS information about the part of the domain (including IP addresses) that is not delegated. The existence of information about the domain in the zone file is necessary so that the services related to the domain can be found and used on the Internet.

As the administrator of the .ee domain, it is the responsibility of Estonian Internet Foundation (EIF) to ensure that the DNS or name server service is available to all users without interruption. Therefore, starting from 2019, the zone file will be fully available and downloadable based on the AXFR protocol.

The contents of the zone file are copyrighted and all copyrights belong to EIS. The data in the zone file can only be used and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). If the user violates the license terms, EIF has the right to block the corresponding IP address's access to the zone file and revoke the person's right to use the zone file in the future. EIF will solely evaluate all copyright violations and decide whether to block or revoke access. If you are interested in sharing zone file data with the public, contact us at info@internet.ee.

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 is not necessarily an exhaustive list of .ee domains.

The domain is not in the zone file if the domain is registered without name server records or the records have been removed from an existing domain. Stopped and deleted .ee domains are also not reflected in the file.

2. Are the IP addresses contained in the zone file personal data?

No it is not. The IP addresses in the zone file do not qualify as personal data because they cannot be used to identify a person. The zone file contains the IP addresses of the name servers serving domain names. Therefore, the only information published in the file is related to the functioning of the domain name on a technical level.

Due to the nature of the name server, such IP addresses are infrastructure IP addresses, not personal IP addresses. IP addresses contained in the zone files are considered public IP addresses or, in Internet terminology, infrastructure addresses (these also include web servers, routers, and other devices that are part of the Internet infrastructure). The existence of IP addresses and related information ensures the implementation of the main activity of EIF, i.e. ensuring the availability of .ee domain names through the name server service. Accordingly, disclosed IP addresses are not considered confidential data. Domain name information is also available through our WHOIS service.

3. Can a public zone file increase spam emails?

The name server records presented in the zone file are part of the DNS infrastructure and are therefore considered to be public information, access to which has always been available through various technical tools. Similar information can be accessed thanks to several other tools and portals. For example, information related to the company is available through the business and information register. Thus, a publicly available zone file has no independent influence on the amount of spam.

4. Do you want the domain not to be visible in the zone file?

Not all registered .ee domains can be found in the zone file. The domain and its related information will not reach the zone file if it is registered without a name server or if they are removed from an existing registration. However, if the domain is not in the zone, it is not possible to use the related services.

Not disclosing information in the zone file is an important option in cases where there is no desire to disclose temporary campaigns or brands. For example, if you want to come to the market with a new product and keep the corresponding domain name a secret for as long as possible, you can do this by registering the domain without a name server. In this case, the domain is not available on the Internet and can be found by others.

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

The zone file is updated every ten minutes, so you always have access to the most recent zone file.

6. How to download the zone file?

The file can be downloaded using the AXFR protocol from 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 misuse of the service or violation of the license terms, we reserve the right to block the IP address that caused the problem and revoke the right to use the data. EIS will evaluate all issues and cases of misuse, and the right to block or revoke access rests solely with EIS. Before sharing or processing the zone file with the public, contact us at info@internet.ee - we are happy to discuss your questions.