Stands for "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

ICANN is responsible for running the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is a standards organization. They are accountable for coordinating the various worldwide exclusive numerical systems that are necessary for the operation of the Internet. Its principal responsibilities include administering the root zone DNS records, distributing groups of IP addresses, and maintaining a directory of standard Internet protocols.

Computer networks would be at a loss to know how to handle Internet information in the absence of a centralized authority entrusted with the distribution of IP addresses. However, due to the fact that there are millions of different IP addresses that could be used, it is not possible for a single organization to hand out each one independently. Instead, the IANA distributes groups of IP addresses to regional registries of the internet (RIRs). After that, the RIRs will hand out addresses to National Internet Registries (NIRs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who will then hand them out to individual consumers.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the organization that is responsible for allocating groups of IP addresses as well as administering the root zone, which is the highest level of the DNS structure. It does this by keeping a centralized register of top-level domains (such as ".com," ".biz," or ".uk") and delegating the administration of each top-level domain to a separate registrant. After that, these registrars are able to offer domain names using those TLDs and allocate them. For instance, the ".com" top-level domain name (TLD) is delegated to Verisign so that it can be managed by Verisign, whereas the ".org" TLD is delegated to the Public Interest Registry, which is a non-profit organization.

The management of a register of standard Internet protocols is the third most important responsibility of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). MIME kinds, HTML status codes, port numbers, and language abbreviations are all examples of standards that software, operating systems, and web servers have to converge on in order for the Internet to function properly. The Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Directory is managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). One illustration of this is the use of port 22 by the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. Software and webpages that use standard protocols to communicate with one another can do so without any hiccups by referring to a centralized directory of standard protocols.