What is APNIC and what does it do?

APNIC is the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) that administers IP addresses for the Asia Pacific region. If you are an ISP, enterprise, or other organization in that region that needs IPv4 or IPv6 address space, APNIC is the body you deal with — either directly as a member or through a membership arrangement. Its stated purpose is to support a global, open, stable, and secure Internet serving the entire Asia Pacific community.

What an RIR actually does

An RIR manages the distribution and registration of Internet number resources — primarily IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) — within a defined geographic region. APNIC's region covers the Asia Pacific. That means:

• Allocating and assigning IP addresses to organizations that qualify, following policies set by the community.
• Maintaining registration records so that address space can be traced to a holder.
• Supporting transfers of IP addresses between parties.
• Facilitating policy development through an open, consensus-based process.

This is a coordination role, not a commercial one. APNIC does not sell Internet access or route traffic; it manages the underlying number resources that networks need to operate.

Who needs APNIC

You are likely to interact with APNIC if you are:

• An ISP or network operator needing address space to assign to customers.
• An enterprise or hosting provider that needs its own IP allocations rather than using a provider's.
• An organization transferring IP addresses to or from another party.
• Someone participating in policy discussions that shape how resources are distributed.

Individual end users generally do not interact with APNIC directly — their connectivity provider handles address management.

The main activities

Based on APNIC's own materials, its work spans several areas:

Policy development

Policy is a core function. APNIC's Policy SIG meets at APNIC conferences to review proposals. For example, at APNIC 62 the Policy SIG discussed seven proposals covering IPv4, IPv6, and Internet abuse-related issues, with two reaching consensus. This is how the rules governing address distribution evolve — through community discussion rather than a single authority deciding.

Training and technical community

APNIC runs an Academy with webinars and training. One example is a session on ASPA (Autonomous System Provider Authorization), explaining how ASPAs work, how they complement ROAs, and how to begin monitoring and deploying them. APNIC also publishes technical articles and a podcast, covering topics such as routing security, DNS, DHCP, and BGP resilience.

Events

APNIC conferences (like APNIC 62) bring together the technical and policy community. Sessions cover Internet operations topics — for instance, updates on DNS, DHCP, certificate security, and BGP routing resilience, including new management capabilities for Kea DHCP and BIND DNS and preparations for the DNSSEC root KSK rollover.

Membership and payment

APNIC operates a membership model. Its site includes a billing procedure and a "Make a payment" path for members. If you need IP addresses, membership is typically the route — but the specific fees, eligibility rules, and current terms are set out in APNIC's own membership and billing documentation, so check those directly rather than assuming a cost structure.

Why it matters beyond registrants

Even if you never apply for addresses, APNIC's work affects you indirectly:

• Routing security efforts (ROAs, ASPAs) depend on registry data.
• IP geolocation accuracy draws on RIR data; at APNIC 62, panelists explored how geofeeds, RIR data, and third-party providers work together and why improving accuracy while protecting privacy matters.
• Policy decisions on IPv4, IPv6, and abuse shape how the region's networks operate.

Bottom line

APNIC is the Asia Pacific's IP address registry: it distributes and records Internet number resources, runs the policy process that governs them, and supports the region's technical community through training and events. If your organization needs IP addresses in the Asia Pacific, APNIC is the entry point. If you just want to understand how the region's Internet resources are managed, it is the body setting and administering those rules.