The World Wide Web is decentralized. Domains can be through any registrar, and
can point to content hosted anywhere in the world. Snag a domain, most are very
cheap, less than $20 per year, that’s less than $2/month.
Some popular registrars:
GoDaddy
Namecheap
Domains.com
Cloudflare
MAKE SURE YOU GET DOMAIN PRIVACY unless you want to be doxxed. WhoIs records
are public and widely available, but you can have a company provide their
information in place of yours. Some registrars offer this for free, sometimes it
is a paid service, sometimes it is impossible (.us domains require your
legal name, for example). Or, you may have some success with registrars that
promise no “Know Your Customer” information requests: kycnot.me domain registrar list.
Triple check you are getting domain privacy.
Some registrars cost more than others! That is because registrars must cover
the base price of a domain as set by the TLDN organization, then add a bit on
top to cover their own infrastructure, marketing, and other services.
Furthermore, some may offer an ‘introductory’ price and make up the price
in later renewals. Tip: Always go by the crossed out price, that’s what it
will renew at next year.
Some hosting services mentioned in the next article also offer domain
registration, sometimes through a partner registrar. Sometimes you do not want
to do this, as this ties your domain to your web host and may make it harder
to switch. Other times, you may want this, since it often greatly simplifies
configuration.
No such thing as free domains
If you see an offer for a free domain, you are either 1) about to be scammed,
or 2) not actually getting a domain.
Domains are more than just entries in some database: the infrastructure around
domains is expensive and constantly under heavy load. Some “free” registrars
will actually give you a domain, but wait until you’ve begun to rely on it,
then invent some bogus claim like anti-fraud or your domain suddenly being
“premium” and demand thousands of dollars, holding your domain hostage and
serving malware ads to your visitors.
The second possibility is getting a subdomain, not a regular domain.
Subdomains are ultimately controlled by the owner of the domain name, and they
can rescind your access at any time. On top of that, you cannot choose the
registrar, and they may restrict your hosting options or inject ads into your
website.
If money is really an issue, there are domains that cost less than $5/year,
just look around. Or, use a highly trusted platform to get a subdomain and
hope they stay trustworthy. You might be able to ask a trusted friend to lend
you a subdomain. Make sure you trust them: this is your online identity!
Get domain help!
This article is kind of an infodump, I know. Come ask questions on the Discord
server! The self-proclaimed expert that wrote this article is there.
I have read reports of some newer top level domain names being administered in
scammy ways, like offering a domain for cheap, then later deciding it is a
“premium” domain and they jack the price up 500 times. Normal top level domain
names, for example .com, .org, and .info, have trustworthy administrators.
Always look up other people’s experiences with TLDN administrators.
Oftentimes, you can pick a company different from the registrar to administer
your domain. This occurs through nameservers. If you don’t care, don’t worry
about it.
For example, you can have a domain registered through Namecheap, but have it
administered through Cloudflare. This isn’t super important to know, but it is
an option.
Cloudflare offers competitive pricing for domains and free WhoIs Privacy for
eligible TLDNs. Restricts nameservers to Cloudflare, if you care about that.
Nearly synonymous with domain names thanks to their advertising. They have more
expensive pricing, but will often offer a very cheap introductory rate for your
first year. They include WhoIs Privacy for free.
This service will offer lower introductory rates, and make it up later with
higher fees, but they are considered trustworthy. WhoIs Privacy included for
free.
This service also offers lower introductory rates to make up later. WhoIs
Privacy is included for free. It is strange that domain protection is paid,
though, since that should be a standard feature. Anyway, it’s there.
The company index KYCnot.me maintains a list of registrars that will not ask for
your personal information, along with reviews and trust metrics, and if they
accept cryptocurrencies.
