What is an LIR?
An LIR is a Local Internet Registry, a RIR member (e.g. RIPE NCC) that gets IP and ASN allocations and assigns them to users. We cover its role and sponsoring.
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An LIR (Local Internet Registry) is an organisation that is a member of a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) and receives allocations of number resources from it: IPv4 and IPv6 address space and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). It then distributes those resources across its own infrastructure and to end-user customers. In Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia an LIR is simply a paying member of RIPE NCC. The LIR, not the RIR, holds the direct relationship with an operator who needs an address block or an AS number.
LIR versus RIR: where one ends and the other begins
Internet number resources are managed hierarchically. IANA delegates large blocks to the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs): RIPE NCC, ARIN, APNIC, LACNIC and AFRINIC. A RIR does not usually serve individual operators directly. Its members, the LIRs, do that. The RIR sets policy, runs the whois database and allocates resources to LIRs. The LIR manages those resources locally, records assignments in the RIR database and keeps the entries describing its customers accurate.
What an LIR can assign, and on what terms
Once membership is granted, an LIR can request resources and pass them on. The scope depends on RIR policy and pool availability. For RIPE NCC the post-IPv4-exhaustion reality is very concrete and worth knowing before you plan addressing.
- IPv4: since 2019 RIPE NCC allocates a new LIR only a single /24 (256 addresses) from the recovered pool, and only while such addresses remain available.
- IPv6: an LIR receives a /32 by default, or larger when justified, giving an enormous space to number from.
- ASN: an LIR can request 16-bit and 32-bit Autonomous System Numbers for itself and for customers that demonstrate a need for multihoming.
- PI (provider-independent): the LIR is the sponsor for provider-independent resources that belong to the end user.
- Registration: every assignment must be reflected in the RIPE database (inetnum, inet6num and aut-num objects).
The sponsoring LIR and the cost of membership
Not every company wants to become a RIR member in its own right, because that carries an annual fee and administrative duties. The alternative is a sponsoring LIR: an existing member that requests resources on a customer's behalf and keeps the formal relationship with the RIR. This is the usual way to obtain an independent ASN or PI space without setting up your own LIR. RIPE policy requires a sponsorship agreement, which makes clear that the customer remains the holder of the resource while the LIR is responsible for registering it correctly.
LIRs and SkyPass (AS202520)
SkyPass operates as autonomous system AS202520 with points of presence in Warsaw and Wrocław and peering at Polish IXPs (THINX, TPIX, WRIX and 1-IX). The number resources you obtain through an LIR, your own IPv4/IPv6 pool and AS number, can be put to use with us straight away. You announce your prefixes over BGP on our IP transit, spread them across exchanges via remote IXP access and bring them under DDoS protection. If you are still planning addressing or multihoming, we design a numbering plan that fits the policy of your LIR and RIPE NCC.
Frequently asked questions
How does an LIR differ from a RIR?
A RIR (e.g. RIPE NCC) is the regional registry that sets policy and allocates large pools of resources. An LIR is its paying member, which receives those resources and distributes them onward to its own network and end-user customers.
How many IPv4 addresses does a new LIR get?
At RIPE NCC, since 2019 a new LIR can receive only a single /24, that is 256 IPv4 addresses, from the recovered pool, and only while such addresses remain available.
What is a sponsoring LIR?
It is an existing RIR member that requests resources (such as an independent ASN or PI space) on a customer's behalf under a sponsorship agreement. The customer remains the holder of the resource, while the LIR is responsible for registering it.
Do I need my own LIR to get an ASN?
No. You can obtain an ASN through a sponsoring LIR without the cost and obligations of full membership. Running your own LIR makes sense when you plan to assign resources at a larger scale.