Organizations that keep the Web running
No single entity manages the Web. Standards bodies, naming/numbering authorities, implementers, and operators each play a part. Here is a lightweight map of who does what.
Standards bodies š
Web technologies are shaped in open standards groups.
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
- Authors HTML, CSS, DOM, WebAuthn, WebGPU, and other browser-facing specs.
- Specs progress from drafts to Recommendations; multiple interoperable implementations matter.
- Members include companies, universities, and individuals; work happens in working groups.
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
- Publishes Internet standards as RFCs: HTTP, URL, TLS, QUIC, DNS, and more.
- Work is organized by working groups; consensus and real-world deployment are key.
- IAB/IESG give final approvals, but implementability and interoperability drive progress.
WHATWG
- Maintains the HTML Living Standard, updated alongside browser implementations.
- Engineers from major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) collaborate here.
Names and numbers š·ļø
Hostnames and IP addresses must be unique, so allocation is hierarchical.
ICANN / IANA
- ICANN sets policies for the root zone and TLDs (.com, .jp, etc.).
- IANA allocates IP address blocks, AS numbers, and manages the DNS root zone.
Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)
- APNIC (Asia Pacific), ARIN (North America), RIPE NCC (Europe), LACNIC (Latin America), AfriNIC (Africa).
- RIRs distribute IP space and ASNs, often via national/organizational registries (e.g., JPNIC).
How domains are issued
- You register through a registrar, which in turn writes to the TLD registry.
- Name resolution is hierarchical: root servers ā TLD servers ā authoritative DNS.
- Root DNS consists of 13 lettered clusters (AāM) distributed worldwide.
Implementers and operators š ļø
Standards matter only when implemented. Browsers and hosting platforms spread the Web in practice.
Browser vendors
- Chrome (Google), Safari (Apple), Firefox (Mozilla), Edge (Microsoft), and others.
- Experimental features often ship behind flags before standardization and interoperability tests.
- Compatibility is checked using Web Platform Tests (WPT) across engines.
Cloud/hosting/CDN
- Cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.) host Web apps and APIs.
- CDNs (Cloudflare, Akamai, Fastly, etc.) accelerate delivery with global caches and edge compute.
- They often handle certificates and newer protocols (HTTP/2, HTTP/3) on your behalf.
Search engines and crawlers
- Google, Bing, and others crawl the Web and index link structures and content.
- robots.txt and sitemap.xml have become standard interfaces for crawlers.
Policy and safety š”ļø
Security, privacy, and trustworthiness are handled by multiple forums and practices.
Security-related groups
- CA/Browser Forum defines certificate issuance policies (Baseline Requirements).
- OCSP and Certificate Transparency logs increase trust in TLS certificates.
- Security researchers and CERTs coordinate vulnerability disclosure and responses.
Privacy and trust trends
- Browsers implement tracking protection and third-party cookie restrictions while standards discuss new APIs.
- DNS over HTTPS/TLS encrypts resolution paths to reduce leakage.
- Regional regulations (GDPR/CCPA, etc.) influence how Web features are deployed.
Takeaway
The Web stays decentralized: standards bodies define behavior, naming/numbering authorities avoid collisions, vendors and providers implement and operate, and security/privacy forums guide safe use.