Networks and addresses
RIR and LIR (RIPE NCC)
The registries that hand out IP addresses and AS numbers: five regional ones, and the local registries that are their members.
IP addresses and AS numbers are allocated by five Regional Internet Registries, one per part of the world. Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia are served by the RIPE NCC in Amsterdam. The RIRs keep the public database that says which organisation holds which block, with contact and abuse details.
A Local Internet Registry is a member of its RIR: an ISP, a hosting company or any organisation that pays the membership fee and can request resources directly. Members receive IPv6 allocations and, these days, only a small IPv4 block from the waiting list.
Organisations that want an AS number or their own IPv6 block without becoming members go through a sponsoring LIR, which files the request and holds the contract with the RIR on their behalf. The resource is registered to the end user, not the sponsor, and can move to another sponsor later. NovaNode is an LIR and offers this.