.ac domains list

What is .ac TLD

.ac is the country‑code top‑level domain (ccTLD) designated for Ascension Island, a remote territory in the South Atlantic. Despite the geographic origin, .ac domains are available globally and often selected for short, memorable naming or allusions to “academic” or “access.” We track .ac websites across registrars, nameservers, SSL usage, and hosting footprints to understand activity and resilience. In our datasets, we observe international distribution, a bias toward shorter labels, and frequent use as redirects or project endpoints. These patterns help benchmark adoption and detect lifecycle changes like parking or rebranding. Organizations assessing .ac should weigh governance, renewal costs, and security practices alongside brand fit. Explore webatla’s .ac domain datasets for deeper, current insights.

History and key features of .ac TLD

The .ac TLD was established as a country-code in the late 1990s and remains associated with Ascension Island under the broader Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha territory. Administration is handled by a commercial registry with global distribution via accredited registrars. Most .ac domains are registered at the second level, following common syntax rules and standard DNS provisioning. Many .ac websites adopt modern security practices and benefit from anycast DNS and IPv6 offered by providers, though implementations vary by registrar and host. From our longitudinal measurements, we see steady zone size changes, consolidating nameserver portfolios, and periodic bursts of defensive registrations. These attributes shape stability and risk profiles for operators. Review our longitudinal .ac domain datasets and registry snapshots on webatla.

Why and who choose the .ac domain

Organizations choose the .ac domain for brevity, semantic flexibility, and international availability. Buyers include research teams, labs, startups, link shorteners, and technology projects where “AC” echoes academic themes or technical terms. We see .ac domains used for primary brands, campaign microsites, and resilient infrastructure endpoints, while .ac websites often serve documentation, community portals, or lightweight APIs. Selection should consider jurisdiction, registrar support, pricing tiers, and security baselines, as ccTLDs can face differing policy landscapes. Our data indicates clustering around a few DNS providers and a long tail of niche hosts, which can influence performance and resilience. Prospective registrants benefit from comparative benchmarks before committing. Browse webatla’s buyer‑intent and usage profiles for .ac domain datasets today.