Is it one that you just use and works just fine? Or one that has proven to be reliable and responsible if they do a mistake and only want to satisfy you as a customer?
I recently switched to Porkbun from Namecheap specifically because I found Namecheap’s “advanced DNS” settings to be somewhat excruciating to use, plus I also (finally, after doing it manually for a good few years) got around to setting up Certbot autorenewal, and there’s not really a good way to do DNS challenges for autorenewal with Namecheap. Just generally I find Porkbun’s UI to be very simple and streamlined without actually hiding anything from me. I also found that my domain renewal prices went down with the switch, something I didn’t even consider when switching.
That being said, Porkbun and Namecheap are literally the only domain registrars I’ve used. For all I know there could be something out there I’d prefer way more.
Cloudflare - largely because they don’t add on extra fees.
Also just switched to Cloudflare (used to be google domains)… since they run half the internet, they probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon? Feels like every service gets sold/acquired and I have to change everything over every few years and I’m getting tired hahaha… also their DNS changes update basically instantly and are easy to do for this newbie!
Heh I was also on Google domains before they announced they were selling it. I don’t know what the hell possessed me to register domains with Google. They have a very well documented history of killing off great services. https://killedbygoogle.com/
I personally think it’s better to keep your domain registration separate from your hosting/cloud providers, including cloudflare. Basically not putting all your eggs in the same basket. Those giant cloud companies probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, but their automated system are known to ban users with no recourse unless you’re a big spender with dedicated account managers. Having your domain elsewhere means when something happen to your hosting/cloud account, at least you’re not completely fucked.
Having recently setup an UnRaid server I used a walkthrough video on setting up SSL certs for them through Cloudflare and Google Domains. Was already using their DNS (1.1.1.1) and had an account so made that it an easy decision, then Google decided Domains would be sold off so I fully migrated to Cloudflare. I find the free tier to have more things included than I even understand and it does everything I need.
I use Namecheap. They have a URL you can visit to update DNS records if you’re doing it from the server that you need to point DNS at. They’ve been pretty much…non-eventful. I’ve never had to call them, everything online, they’ve been reliable enough to just say my whole experience has been pretty boring. Boring is good. I log into them once every 2 years to renew my domain and that’s generally it.
Then on top of that I use Caddy for SSL Encryption/Reverse Proxy. All I need is the domain registrar, I don’t use any other services.
Same pretty much. I use them too and non-eventful is the perfect way to put it. I can even update ddns records using my fritzbox directly and namecheap which is super handy.
I’ve been using namecheap for about a decade too. But, be careful with their free email forwarding service. They do not forward all emails. The ones that they consider spam, they proceed to drop silently. There is absolutely no way to access those emails. The service is essentially useless. I have lost several important emails like that.
Namecheap also works with ddclient.
https://sourceforge.net/p/ddclient/wiki/protocols/#namecheap
I use them too, but have a few complaints and am thinking about switching.
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Dynamic DNS doesn’t support ipv6 addresses
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You have to have a $50 account balance to use DNS based dynamic dns
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Buggy DNS editing. (Try to create a SRV record then edit it later. It never works properly. Always have to delete and make a new one)
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Have heard that searching domains through the site can cause the domain to become unavailable or prices to go up briefly afterwards… kind of like how go daddy also has a reputation for doing that. Anecdotal and second stories for sure but something to be aware of if there is any credence to it…
I’ve experienced this and also read reports of it with GoDaddy. But I cannot say the same for Namecheap - I’ve searched for several domain names multiple times through Namecheap and never noticed a price increase (outside of a sale ending and/or the search being multiple weeks later, at which point it makes sense). I’ve also never seen any detailed reports of this happening with Namecheap, and if I’ve seen any at all, I can’t remember them. I have occasionally searched for a domain name that was later unavailable, but that happens infrequently enough that I doubt it’s due to Namecheap doing something nefarious.
I’ve seen it with GoDaddy but not namecheap.
Their customer support has been great. I needed help with some certs and they just walked me though everything.
Namecheap has been good to me for a decade now, and I don’t really have complaints at all
Not Gandi. They were very reliable since the beginning of the internet but they sold the company and went downhill since.
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I’ve always used OVH. They are reputable, always been responsive to my questions and have an API to handle many things, including domain names, which is handy for DNS-01 challenges with Caddy and libdns.
I used Namecheap for several years and was happy with it, but the numerous price increases finally pushed me to switch. I recently decided on Porkbun after the many positive reviews I read online. It is affordable and has a very clean interface that doesn’t constantly nag me about purchasing other services. I’m really liking it so far.
I really want to say Gandi but they charge too much now and removed the free mailboxes.
Anyway, I’ll vouch for Netim. Their prices are similar to (old) Gandi and they have a mailbox too. I’m looking into Spaceship for some other domains because they’re really cheap.
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Feature rich and never had an issue with them. Prices are fine imho.
Joker.com. I’ve been a happy customer for years and years.
Pork bun
name.com usually because I’m too dumb to remember any other domain name.
1984.hosting, because it’s the only one I know that does not require you to run any propietary software.
a domain name and vps are two different things?
They have domains too, but very little choice. Still looking for proper domain registar in this style.
ClouDNS.net… I mean, it works.