RIPE Network Coordination Centre

RIPE Network Coordination Centre, commonly known as RIPE NCC, is a not-for-profit membership organisation that serves as the Regional Internet Registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. Its core responsibility is the fair, orderly and technically responsible allocation and registration of Internet number resources, principally IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System Numbers. These resources are essential to the operation of Internet networks because public addresses must be unique and autonomous-system identifiers allow networks to exchange routing information through the global Border Gateway Protocol system. The organisation began operating in Amsterdam in April 1992. Its initial funding came from academic and research networking organisations, including members of RARE, EARN and EUnet. Although its operational history began in the early 1990s, its formal legal establishment followed the deposit of Dutch-language articles of association with the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce on 12 November 1997. RIPE NCC developed in close relationship with Réseaux IP Européens, or RIPE, an open technical forum concerned with Internet development. The two entities are separate, but RIPE NCC provides administrative and organisational support for RIPE Meetings and RIPE working groups. RIPE NCC members are generally Local Internet Registries, including Internet service providers, telecommunications operators, educational institutions, government and regulatory bodies, and large corporations. Individuals and organisations can join, and members are located in more than 120 countries. The organisation reported almost 20,000 members at the end of 2024. Its formal service area covers a broad and diverse region extending from Europe through the Middle East and into Central Asia; organisations outside the area may obtain services indirectly through eligible Local Internet Registries. Its activities extend beyond address allocation. RIPE NCC operates and maintains the RIPE Database, which records the registration and contact information associated with Internet number resources allocated to members. It also supports the RIPE Routing Registry, a database of routing information expressed in the Routing Policy Specification Language, and operates K-root, one of the Internet's root name-server services. Other activities include support for ENUM delegations, publication of neutral Internet statistics, and operation of measurement and information services such as RIPE Atlas and RIPEstat. RIPE NCC governance is closely tied to the regional Internet community. Policies for number-resource distribution are developed through the open RIPE policy process rather than imposed solely by the registry. The organisation also participates in the Number Resource Organization and related global Internet-governance structures, including the Address Supporting Organization. It contributes to coordination with ICANN and other Regional Internet Registries, and has taken part in international policy and governance initiatives such as the World Summit on the Information Society and the Internet Governance Forum. A major turning point came in November 2019, when RIPE NCC announced that it had made its final available IPv4 allocation from its remaining address pool. It continued to distribute IPv4 addresses returned by organisations or recovered from closed networks, using a waiting-list process. This development highlighted the strategic importance of IPv6 deployment and the operation of formal IPv4 transfer mechanisms. RIPE NCC charges members an annual fee and separately charges for certain Provider Independent resources associated with customers. IPv4 transfers concern the registration and authorised use of address resources in registry databases, rather than ownership of a physical commodity. Today, RIPE NCC functions as a regional coordination institution and technical-services provider for the Internet rather than as a conventional commercial consumer brand. Its value lies in trusted stewardship of scarce numbering resources, accurate registry information, operational infrastructure, measurement data, community-developed policy and support for the organisations that build and run networks across its service region.

RIPE NCC emerged from the European research and academic networking environment that supported the early development of Internet infrastructure. Its first activity plan was published in May 1991, before the organisation began operations. In April 1992, it started operating in Amsterdam with initial financial support from members of RARE, EARN and EUnet. At that time, the organisation's role was to provide practical coordination for the growing European IP networking community. The organisation's institutional identity developed alongside RIPE, the Réseaux IP Européens forum. RIPE was an open community for people and organisations interested in the technical development of the Internet, while RIPE NCC was established as the operational and administrative body serving the community. This distinction remains important: RIPE NCC is a membership organisation and registry, whereas RIPE is a forum. RIPE NCC supports RIPE Meetings and working groups, but neither entity is simply a division of the other. RIPE NCC was formally established under Dutch law when its articles of association were deposited with the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce on 12 November 1997. Over time, the organisation became one of the world's five Regional Internet Registries. In that capacity it receives Internet number resources through the global allocation system and distributes them within its service region, usually through or to Local Internet Registries. Its region covers Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, and its services also reach users outside that area through qualifying members. As the Internet expanded, RIPE NCC broadened its work from basic number-resource coordination into a wider set of registry, routing, measurement and infrastructure functions. The RIPE Database became a central public source of registration information for IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers allocated through the RIPE NCC system. The RIPE Routing Registry added routing-policy information in RPSL and became part of the broader Internet Routing Registry ecosystem. Database contents were made available for near-real-time mirroring from March 2008, supporting distributed access and operational use. The organisation also developed infrastructure and data services intended to improve visibility into Internet operations. K-root became part of the global root name-server system. RIPE Atlas provided distributed measurements of reachability, latency and other network conditions, while RIPEstat offered web-based information about address space, autonomous systems, hostnames and countries. These services helped researchers, network operators, policymakers and the public examine Internet performance using neutral data. IPv4 scarcity became the defining resource challenge of the organisation's later history. After the global exhaustion of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority's remaining IPv4 space and the depletion of regional pools, RIPE NCC applied increasingly restrictive allocation policies. On 25 November 2019, it announced that it had made its final allocation from its available IPv4 pool. The registry did not stop all IPv4 activity: it continued to allocate returned or recovered address space to members according to a waiting list and maintained a formal transfer process. The exhaustion announcement made IPv6 deployment a central strategic priority for network operators in the region. RIPE NCC is funded primarily through member fees. Since 2012, the standard annual membership fee has been equal for members rather than being based on the quantity of Internet resources held, while separate charges may apply to certain Provider Independent resources associated with customers. Its governance and policy work remain community-oriented, with Internet number-resource policies developed through the RIPE policy process. The organisation also works with ICANN, the other Regional Internet Registries through the Number Resource Organization, and wider Internet-governance bodies. By the end of 2024, RIPE NCC had almost 20,000 members in more than 120 countries. Its headquarters remain in Amsterdam and it maintains a branch office in Dubai. The organisation's historical role has therefore evolved from early European network coordination into a mature regional institution responsible for scarce Internet identifiers, operational infrastructure, measurement platforms and technical administration across a large international service region.

• 2024

  Membership approaches 20,000

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  RIPE NCC reported almost 20,000 members at the end of 2024, located in more than 120 countries.

• 2019

  Final available IPv4 allocation

  [2]RIPE NCC has run out of IPv4 addressesripe.net

  RIPE NCC announced the distribution of the final /22 IPv4 block from its available pool and moved remaining distribution to returned or recovered address space and a waiting list.

• 2012

  Equal annual membership fee introduced

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  The standard annual fee was set equally for members and was no longer linked to the volume of Internet resources held.

• 2008

  Near-real-time RIPE Database mirroring

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  RIPE Database contents became available for near-real-time mirroring, supporting distributed operational access.

• 1997

  Formal Dutch legal establishment

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  The Dutch articles of association were deposited with the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce on 12 November, formally establishing the organisation.

• 1992

  Operations begin in Amsterdam

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  RIPE NCC began operating in April with initial support from RARE members, EARN and EUnet.

• 1991

  First RIPE NCC activity plan published

  [1]RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation published its first activity plan before commencing operations, establishing an early framework for European Internet coordination.

A neutral, community-governed regional steward of Internet number resources and supporting infrastructure, combining registry administration, network measurement, routing information and technical coordination.

• Registry and allocation services · 1992

  Internet number-resource registry

  RIPE NCC allocates and registers IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System Numbers within its service region. Allocation follows policies developed through the RIPE community and is intended to preserve uniqueness, accountability and orderly use of scarce numbering resources. IPv4 returned by organisations or recovered from closed networks may be distributed through a waiting-list process, while formal transfer procedures support approved changes in registration.

• Public Internet registry database

  RIPE Database

  The RIPE Database contains registration information for Internet number resources allocated through the RIPE NCC system. It can show resource holders, allocation dates and related contact information, with responsibility for maintaining current records resting with the organisations or individuals recorded there. The database is a registry and reference service; it is not a domain-name registry.

• Routing information service

  RIPE Routing Registry

  The RIPE Routing Registry is a subset of the RIPE Database that stores routing information using the Routing Policy Specification Language. It forms part of the wider Internet Routing Registry environment, enabling network operators and other participants to publish and consult routing-policy data.

• Internet measurement platform

  RIPE Atlas

  RIPE Atlas is a distributed measurement network that collects neutral observations about Internet reachability, latency and related performance characteristics. Its measurements help operators, researchers and policymakers investigate how networks perform across countries and providers.

• Internet data and information platform

  RIPEstat

  RIPEstat provides a web-based interface to information about IP address space, Autonomous System Numbers, hostnames and countries. It is intended to make registry and related Internet data easier to inspect and use for operational, research and analytical purposes.

• Root name-server infrastructure

  K-root

  K-root is a root name-server service operated by RIPE NCC as part of the global Domain Name System root infrastructure. Its operation contributes to the resilience and distributed functioning of Internet name resolution.

• 2019

  Shift to returned IPv4 space and an allocation waiting listStrategy

  Background

  The RIPE NCC service region faced depletion of the registry's available IPv4 pool after years of demand and the wider exhaustion of unallocated IPv4 space.

  Action taken

  RIPE NCC announced that its final available /22 had been allocated. It continued IPv4 allocations only from addresses returned by organisations, released by closed networks or otherwise recovered, distributing them to members according to a waiting list.

  Aftermath

  The decision reinforced the importance of IPv6 deployment and formal IPv4 transfer procedures while making new IPv4 allocations substantially more constrained.

  Source

• 2012

  Equal annual membership fee modelStrategy

  Background

  RIPE NCC reviewed how its membership charges should relate to the number of Internet resources held by each member.

  Action taken

  The standard annual membership fee was set equally for all members rather than being calculated from resource holdings. A separate charge remained applicable to each Provider Independent number resource associated with a member's customers.

  Aftermath

  The model separated general membership funding from certain customer-related resource charges.

  Source

• 2019

  RIPE NCC makes final IPv4 allocation from available pool[2]RIPE NCC has run out of IPv4 addressesripe.net

  Other · Regulation

  RIPE NCC announced that it had distributed the final /22 IPv4 block from its available address pool. Further allocations would rely on addresses returned by organisations or released from closed networks and would be managed through a waiting list. The announcement also renewed the call for IPv6 deployment.

1. 1RIPE NCCen.wikipedia.org
2. 2RIPE NCC has run out of IPv4 addressesripe.net
3. 3RIPE NCC official websiteripe.net