I want to get some domains for selfhosted stuff, but I’d like to use a registrar that I won’t regret doing business with later, both in terms of ethics and potential customer service stuff. Who do y’all like most?

  • Ulrich@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    56
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    19 hours ago

    Top answers from the last 39580202 times this was asked:

    • Namecheap
    • Porkbun
    • Gandi
    • Cloudflare
    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      18 hours ago

      I was with Namecheap for years, and they’re totally fine. I am now with Cloudflare because they’re a bit cheaper and their API is well supported in various tools, and they also seem fine.

      • TedZanzibar@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 hours ago

        Exactly this. Also it annoys me that Namecheap tries to automatically “top up funds” over a month before renewals are due. I think they’ve always done it but it wound me up enough this year to move to Cloudflare.

        • keckbug@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 hours ago

          Counterpoint, I quite like this. I’m terrible at keeping payment details up to date, and I’ve got long renewal periods on my domains. The early renewal attempt allows me to get an email that my payment is expired or revoked (due to a stolen card number or something) and I have a month to go correct it.

      • 3dmvr@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        14 hours ago

        I use porkbun and you get cloudflare through them, not sure to what extent, porkbuns just cheaper, I like their ui, straightforward, everything you need on one screen.

    • vfsh@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Another +1 for name cheap, been using em for a decade now. Their deals are stellar and renewal prices are on par with any other competitors usually

      • scarilog@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        11 hours ago

        Transferred all my domains from nanecheap to CloudFlare and I’m saving like 1/3 of price on renewals.

    • jonathan@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      18 hours ago

      I wouldn’t buy domains from Cloudflare from a risk mitigation perspective. At work I direct six figures of budget their way annually, but as a free-tier customer in my personal life I don’t trust them not to fuck up at some point and lock my account. If I register my domain elsewhere I can bring myself back online by moving the nameservers. If it’s registered at Cloudflare I’m fucked.

      • folekaule@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        15 hours ago

        I have one of my domains on Cloudflare and was thinking of moving the rest of them there. What makes it harder to move name servers away from Cloudflare than other places?

        • go $fsck yourself@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          8 hours ago

          You’ll be fine to move them to Cloudflare.

          What the other user is describing would be an extremely rare scenario, and you should be able to change registrars in that case anyway.

          There’s really not much of any practical benefits of that kind of excessive “risk mitigation”.

        • jonathan@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          10 hours ago

          Your registrar (the place you buy your domains) is where you update your nameservers. If Cloudflare have locked you out then you won’t be able to change them. Other standard registrars will have far less cause, legitimate or not, to lock or disable your account, since they don’t host/proxy your content.

          • go $fsck yourself@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            9 hours ago

            I’m not sure what the consequences are for ignoring it, but it would violate the ICANN RAA to lock a person out of being able to transfer their domain except for legal reasons like evidence of fraud or a court order. Sure, they can terminate your account on their services but they can’t prevent you from transferral without violating their agreement with ICANN.

            It would be a weird scenario that you’re describing that would be unusual and exceedingly rare. You would need to be directly connected to something highly illegal for that to happen, not just a normal user.

            • jonathan@lemmy.zip
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              8 hours ago

              That’s why I said I don’t trust them to not fuck up, not that it’s something that should ordinarily be expected. Additionally, especially considering how the rule of law in their jurisdiction is going recently I wouldn’t assume it will always be this way.