.ac.cn domains list

What is .ac.cn TLD

Within the .cn country-code top-level domain, .ac.cn is a structured second-level namespace typically designated for academic and research communities in mainland China. Registrations are third-level labels (e.g., example.ac.cn), creating .ac.cn domains used by universities, institutes, and associated bodies. In our corpus, .ac.cn websites commonly resolve via Chinese networks and global CDNs, with a mix of Chinese- and English-language content. We index zone files, WHOIS, DNS records, SSL certificates, and historical snapshots to map ownership, hosting, and change velocity across this space, enabling reliable longitudinal analysis. These signals help characterize institutional footprints, detect infrastructure shifts, and surface related entities operating under consistent naming conventions. Explore .ac.cn domain datasets from webatla.

History and key features of .ac.cn TLD

China’s .cn namespace has used categorized second-level spaces for decades, and .ac.cn evolved within that policy framework to serve academic and research institutions. Governance sits with CNNIC for the parent .cn, while accredited registrars handle retail processes and compliance. In practice, organizations register third-level .ac.cn domains that align with institutional names, and operate .ac.cn websites for faculty, labs, repositories, and outreach. We observe steady adoption of internationalized domain names, modern TLS configurations, and diversified hosting among education networks and national backbones. Our longitudinal datasets track lifecycle events—registrations, expiries, nameserver changes, and certificate rotations—offering evidence for infrastructure hygiene and continuity assessments. Explore .ac.cn domain datasets from webatla to validate trends.

Why and who choose the .ac.cn domain

Organizations choose the .ac.cn domain when signaling academic affiliation, research orientation, and China-focused operations. Universities, academies, laboratories, scholarly societies, and joint research programs often register .ac.cn domains that mirror institutional naming norms, then deploy .ac.cn websites for publications, datasets, conferences, and collaboration portals. International NGOs and publishers with China partnerships use the namespace to provide localized, policy-aligned presence. From our measurements, hosting is split across campus networks, national research backbones, and commercial clouds, influencing performance, availability, and risk posture. We analyze DNS composition, mail security, certificate cadence, and subdomain exposure to benchmark peer groups, detect misconfigurations, and monitor consolidation after mergers or funding cycles. Explore .ac.cn domain datasets from webatla for deeper benchmarking.