# Global IP range registry

This folder is the human-readable registry of IP knowledge collected by this repository. It is organized by **network range**, not by one file for every individual address: IPv4 alone contains 4,294,967,296 addresses, and registration and routing facts normally apply to prefixes.

## Filename convention

```text
<zero-padded-network-address>--<zero-padded-prefix-length>--<registry-or-status>.md
```

Examples:

```text
000-000-000-000--08--iana.md
001-000-000-000--16--placeholder.md
001-001-001-000--24--apnic.md
```

The parts mean:

- `zero-padded-network-address`: canonical IPv4 network address, each octet padded to three digits and separated by hyphens;
- `zero-padded-prefix-length`: CIDR range number without `/`, padded to two digits;
- `registry-or-status`: authoritative number registry when the range has been researched (`iana`, `afrinic`, `apnic`, `arin`, `lacnic`, or `ripe-ncc`), otherwise `placeholder`.

A known top-level registry is not enough to put that registry in the suffix. If the exact range's holder, routing, and subdivision have not been investigated, use `placeholder`.

The zero padding is required because repository browsers sort filenames lexicographically: without it, `1-10...` would appear before `1-2...`.

IPv6 filenames use the same rule, with colons replaced by hyphens and compressed notation expanded to avoid ambiguous names.

## Current coverage

| Range | Registry | Classification | Status | Known exact addresses | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `0.0.0.0/8` | IANA | Special-purpose | Researched | `0.0.0.0` | [record](000-000-000-000--08--iana.md) |
| `1.0.0.0/16` | APNIC | Pending subdivision/research | Placeholder | — | [record](001-000-000-000--16--placeholder.md) |
| `1.1.0.0/24` | APNIC | Pending research | Placeholder | — | [record](001-001-000-000--24--placeholder.md) |
| `1.1.1.0/24` | APNIC | Public unicast | Researched | `1.1.1.1` | [record](001-001-001-000--24--apnic.md) |

These four files now provide contiguous documented coverage from `0.0.0.0` through `1.1.1.255`. The two middle files are explicitly marked as placeholders and must not be interpreted as fully researched ownership records.

This is **not yet a list of all global ranges**. The expansion plan is in [`research/ip-network-roadmap.md`](../research/ip-network-roadmap.md).

## Required contents

Use [`TEMPLATE.md`](TEMPLATE.md) for every new range record. The **first section after the title must be `Who is this IP range?`** and must immediately name the registered holder/authority and operator—or explicitly say detailed attribution is unknown.

Every range file must then distinguish:

1. registry and registered resource holder;
2. special-purpose classification, where applicable;
3. observed BGP announcement and origin ASN;
4. operator and service relationships;
5. exact addresses already investigated inside the range;
6. sources and verification dates.

Do not compress these into a single misleading “owner” field. Registration, routing, operation, and service responsibility can belong to different organizations.