concepts

Namespaces & Domains

What namespaces and domains are, the four namespace types, character pricing, naming rules, and reserved names.

The Two Building Blocks

Every schema in the registry has a two-part identifier: namespace and domain.

Namespace: The address — your brand identity (e.g., stripe)
Domain: The building — a schema definition (e.g., payments)

Think of it this way: Namespaces are the land. Domains are the buildings on that land. You claim a namespace once, then publish as many domains as your tier allows.

stripe.payments       ← namespace "stripe", domain "payments"
com.my-store          ← namespace "com", domain "my-store"
edu.oxford-cs         ← namespace "edu", domain "oxford-cs"
yon.health            ← namespace "yon", domain "health"

The Four Namespace Types

ℹ️Note

Anyone can get a namespace. Community namespaces are free and instant. Partner namespaces require an annual lease. Institutional namespaces are free but require document-based verification.

Partner Namespace Pricing

Leased partner namespaces scale with character count. Every lease is €120/year. Short names carry an additional one-time setup fee:

Characters	Example	One-Off Setup	Annual Lease
2	`ab.*`	€120,000	€120/yr
3	`abc.*`	€12,000	€120/yr
4	`abcd.*`	€1,200	€120/yr
5	`abcde.*`	€120	€120/yr
6+	`acmecorp.*`	Free	€120/yr

💡Tip

A paid partner namespace lease includes 1 free-capacity domain. Additional domains require paid schema capacity (Pro or Enterprise tier).

Naming Rules

Namespace: Lowercase, alphanumeric, 2–32 characters
Domain name: Lowercase, alphanumeric + hyphens (kebab-case), 2–32 characters
Full identifier: {namespace}.{domain} — e.g., yon.health
Versioned: {namespace}.{domain}@{version} — e.g., [email protected]
Max length: 65 characters total (namespace + dot + domain)
Community restriction: com.* domain names must be 5+ characters

Reserved Names

The following names cannot be registered as namespaces:

All 1-character names
ai, test, demo, example
yon, std, edu, gov, org, com (system namespaces)

Next Steps

Pricing & Tiers

Schema capacity tiers, free allowances, and enterprise overage.

Lifecycle & Permanence

What happens when you don't pay, restoration, and recycling.

Getting Started

Ready to claim your namespace?

Claim your brand identity — free for community and institutional.

Explore Domains

Browse published schemas, scores, and registry data.