A distributed hierarchical registry provides services, such as registry services, including client device discovery and communication services. The distributed hierarchical registry comprises a plurality of registry groups where a registry group comprises a plurality of registry servers. The registry servers receive client device information, such as status, capability, and usage information, and update other registry servers, in the same registry group and/or in other registry groups, using a quorum consensus protocol. The registry servers also respond to lookup requests from client devices. Registry servers use policies to define parameters such as a number of registry servers that make up a read quorum and the number of registry servers that make up a write quorum.