ZDNS

What ZDNS does

ZDNS (Beijing Engineering Research Center of Internet Domain Name System Co., Ltd.), founded in 2012 in Beijing, China, is a state-affiliated national engineering research center that operates two integrated business lines. First, it provides DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM, GSLB, NACS) network core infrastructure products to enterprise and government customers, delivered as a combination of proprietary software and industrial-grade hardware appliances (T6100, T8100, T9100 series in data-center and standard variants with QPS ranging from 80,000 to 500,000 and DHCP capacity from 10,000 to 300,000). Second, it provides full-lifecycle Top-Level Domain (TLD) consulting, application, and compliant hosting services, operating Asia's largest new TLD hosting service platform that serves 27 registry operators and 60–61 TLDs worldwide with over 6.4 million hosted second-level domains.

The company's revenue mechanics span three streams: hardware sales of data-center DDI appliances, managed services for TLD operations requiring dual ICANN/MIIT compliance, and professional consulting services for TLD applications. ZDNS serves large enterprises, government institutions, financial organizations, educational bodies, and healthcare providers on the DDI side, while TLD registry operators and brand TLD applicants comprise the consulting/hosting customer base. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales, supported by ICANN policy participation for lead generation in TLD services. The company is one of only four institutions in China to hold dual ICANN/MIIT compliance certification, has held the #1 DDI market share position in China for 9–10 consecutive years, and contributed to formulation of 8 industry standards for domain name services.

ZDNS participated in ICANN's policy discussions since 2012 and has maintained active membership across 6 ICANN policy-making groups and 4 technical communities for over a decade. The company raised $14.5M in March 2023 from CASVC and Xin Ding Capital. Three major DDI product version updates were released in 2024, emphasizing IPv6 transformation, DNSSEC migration, machine-learning-based DNS tunnel protection, and Xinchuang (indigenous innovation) platform support. Key partnerships include .CO Internet (2018, first overseas TLD to enter China) and Wuhan Yunwaiheng (.HELP TLD, 2025).

Name

ZDNS

Legal name

Beijing Engineering Research Center of Internet Domain Name System Co., Ltd.

Website

https://en.zdns.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ZDNS is a Beijing-based, state-affiliated national engineering research center providing DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM, GSLB) network core infrastructure products and full-lifecycle Top-Level Domain consulting and hosting services to enterprises, government institutions, and TLD registry operators across China and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Infrastructure Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), All Other Telecommunications (5178)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI) (HDAFAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP (DDI) (HDAFAMAE), Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) & DNS Traffic Management (HDAFAHAE), Fault & Performance Monitoring (SNMP/Telemetry/APM for Networks) (HDAFAMAA)

Keywords

• DDI network infrastructure
• Domain name services
• IP address management
• Top-level domain hosting
• TLD application consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. DDI Hardware and Software Products: Sale of DNS, DHCP, IPAM, GSLB network core infrastructure equipment including industrial-grade hardware platforms (T6100, T8100, T9100 series) with software solutions for enterprise network management
2. TLD Application Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for ICANN TLD applications including policy interpretation, compliance preparation, and application process support. Full-lifecycle services covering consultation, application, cloud services, and overall operation.
3. TLD Hosting and Operation Services: Compliant operation management for top-level domains in China requiring dual qualification reviews by ICANN and MIIT. Services include technical platform operation, data hosting, and ongoing compliance management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ZDNS provides integrated DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) network core infrastructure software and industrial-grade hardware appliances (T6100, T8100, T9100 series) for enterprise data centers and networks, along with GSLB and NACS solutions. The company additionally delivers full-lifecycle Top-Level Domain (TLD) application consulting, compliance, and hosting services for registry operators and brand TLD applicants, operating Asia's largest new TLD hosting service platform serving 27 registry operators and 61 top-level domains worldwide.

Product overview

ZDNS offers a comprehensive DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) product portfolio consisting of core software services (DNS, DHCP, IPAM, GSLB, NACS) and industrial-grade hardware appliances (T6100, T8100, T9100 series in DC and SD variants). The products form an integrated network core infrastructure solution suitable for data centers, enterprise networks, and IPv6 transformation. Additionally, ZDNS provides TLD (Top-Level Domain) application and compliance operation services through its Asia-leading new TLD hosting service platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DNS (Domain Name System) Core DNS service providing secure, efficient domain name resolution with machine learning-based tunnel attack detection, DNSSEC support, DOT/DOH protocol support, and Windows DNS unified management. Designed for enterprise network infrastructure operators.
• DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol service for automated IP address allocation and network configuration management with capacity from 10,000 to 300,000 depending on hardware model.
• IPAM (IP Address Management) Comprehensive IP address management solution supporting IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack with intelligent allocation, hierarchical/semantic address planning, and fine-grained asset management for large enterprise networks.
• GSLB (Global Server Load Balancing) Global server load balancing solution providing intelligent traffic scheduling with multiple load-balancing algorithms, health monitoring, and cross-center disaster recovery support. API/CLI issuing performance improved by 2.5 times.
• NACS (Network Access Control System) Network access control solution for managing and securing network access across enterprise environments, integrating with the unified DDI management platform.
• ZDNS T6100-DC Hardware Appliance 1U industrial-grade hardware appliance for data center DNS/DHCP services with 80,000-150,000 QPS, 10,000-80,000 DHCP capacity, 8 Gigabit electrical ports, and redundant power supply with expandable interfaces.
• ZDNS T8100-DC Hardware Appliance 2U industrial-grade hardware appliance for data center DNS/DHCP services with 150,000-200,000 QPS, 80,000-200,000 DHCP capacity, 6 Gigabit electrical ports plus 4 Gigabit optical ports.
• ZDNS T9100-DC Hardware Appliance 2U high-performance industrial-grade hardware appliance for data center DNS/DHCP services with 200,000-500,000 QPS, 100,000-300,000 DHCP capacity, 2 Gigabit electrical ports plus 4 Gigabit optical ports, and 650W redundant power supply.
• ZDNS T6100-SD Hardware Appliance Standard specification hardware appliance for DNS/DHCP services in enterprise networks.
• ZDNS T8100-SD Hardware Appliance Standard specification hardware appliance for DNS/DHCP services in enterprise networks.
• ZDNS T9100-SD Hardware Appliance Standard specification hardware appliance for DNS/DHCP services in enterprise networks.
• TLD Application and Compliance Services Full-lifecycle professional services covering consultation, application, cloud services, and overall operation for Top-Level Domain registration. Includes ICANN application policy interpretation, MIIT compliance preparation for China market entry, technical platform operation, and ongoing compliance management. Has assisted 23+ TLDs worldwide.
• New TLD Hosting Service Platform Asia's largest new top-level domain hosting service platform serving 27 registry operators and 61 top-level domains worldwide, with technical parameters meeting ICANN standards for authoritative DNS and DNSSEC. Hosted over 6.4 million second-level domains as of November 2016.

Quantifiable outcome

• API/CLI issuing performance increased by 2.5 times
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature18 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Wuhan Yunwaiheng Information Technology Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 August 2025ZDNS provides full-lifecycle services for the landing of .HELP top-level domain in China, including policy consultation, technical services, and operation management. Wuhan Yunwaiheng was approved by MIIT as the domain name registry for .HELP in China, with ZDNS providing the technical platform and compliance services.
• .CO Internet (VeriSign Colombia S.A.S.)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Through cooperation with ZDNS, .CO became the first overseas country and regional top-level domain to enter China, obtaining approval from China's MIIT in June 2018. ZDNS provided the compliant operation platform and technical services for .CO's entry into the Chinese market.
• ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZDNS has been actively participating in ICANN's policy discussions through the international Internet community for over a decade. The company joined 6 major policy-making groups and 4 technical communities of ICANN, contributing to policy formulation and mastering the requirements for the second round of TLD openings.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Men&Mice (EfficientIP): Specialized IPAM and DNS management vendor now operating within EfficientIP, focused on DDI for mid-market and service providers. Comparable niche focus on IPAM/DNS but smaller scale than ZDNS and more geographically concentrated outside China.

Broad incumbents

• Cisco (Prime Network Registrar): Diversified networking giant whose Prime Network Registrar provides DDI capabilities as part of a broader enterprise networking portfolio. Overlaps with ZDNS on IPAM/DNS in enterprise accounts but does not specialize in DDI or TLD services.
• NS1 (IBM): Managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering platform, now part of IBM, offering GSLB-equivalent functionality. Directly comparable to ZDNS's GSLB product for global traffic management; functions as a broader cloud/IT incumbent post-IBM acquisition.
• F5 (NGINX Plus / DNS): Application delivery and security vendor whose DNS and load-balancing products overlap with ZDNS's GSLB and DNS offerings. Broader portfolio focused on ADC and security rather than pure-play DDI.
• Verisign: Operator of .com and .net authoritative DNS infrastructure, and a registry services provider. Comparable to ZDNS on the TLD/registry services dimension, though at much larger scale and focused on legacy gTLDs rather than the new gTLD hosting niche.
• Akamai (Edge DNS / GTM): Global CDN/edge platform offering authoritative DNS and global traffic management products that compete with ZDNS's DNS and GSLB offerings. Adjacent rather than direct — broader portfolio and very different delivery model, but functionally overlapping for enterprise DNS decision-makers.

Direct peers

• BlueCat Networks: Enterprise DDI platform provider focused on DNS, DHCP, and IPAM for large organizations. Directly comparable to ZDNS's DDI core offering, targeting similar enterprise and government buyers with comparable on-prem and virtual appliance delivery models.
• Identity Digital: Global registry services provider operating a large portfolio of new gTLDs (.games, .live, etc.). Directly comparable to ZDNS's TLD hosting and registry-operator services business model and customer base.
• Infoblox: Leading global DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) vendor serving large enterprises and service providers. Direct competitor to ZDNS's core DDI product portfolio, with overlapping enterprise/government customer base in DNS security and IP address management.
• EfficientIP: Global DDI vendor specializing in DNS security and IP address management for enterprise and telecom customers. Comparable to ZDNS across product (DDI), buyer profile (large enterprise/telecom), and emphasis on DNS-layer security features.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zdns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZDNS