this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
143 points (96.1% liked)

Selfhosted

40133 readers
1021 users here now

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.

Rules:

  1. Be civil: we're here to support and learn from one another. Insults won't be tolerated. Flame wars are frowned upon.

  2. No spam posting.

  3. Posts have to be centered around self-hosting. There are other communities for discussing hardware or home computing. If it's not obvious why your post topic revolves around selfhosting, please include details to make it clear.

  4. Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or github here. Just post the link for folks to click.

  5. Submission headline should match the article title (don’t cherry-pick information from the title to fit your agenda).

  6. No trolling.

Resources:

Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.

Questions? DM the mods!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

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?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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…

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I've seen it with GoDaddy but not namecheap.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I use them too, but have a few complaints and am thinking about switching.

  1. Dynamic DNS doesn't support ipv6 addresses

  2. You have to have a $50 account balance to use DNS based dynamic dns

  3. 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)

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I’m using PorkBun and I’m happy with them

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

I use them and they're inoffensive, which is really what you're looking for when you're using a basic service like this.

They also show you a picture of a piglet when they generate SSL certificates.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

I second this. They're upfront about pricing and don't have many different products so the interface isn't overwhelming.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

This is who I use as well. I’m happy w them

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Cloudflare works really well and has a good UI. Namecheap also works well, but it takes more clicks to adjust DNS records.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

+1 for Cloudflare.

That said, there are a number of folks rightfully concerned about the sheer mass of information Cliudflare has access to through their Content Delivery Network (their primary service). This raises potential privacy concerns, especially for self-hosters, who tend to prefer not to rely too heavily on any one large company. However, you don't actually have to use their CDN service to make use of their minimally-priced Registrar functionality, and personally I really appreciate the services they offer. Their free tier is really impressive, and incredibly useful.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

For some reason every registrars dns panel has its own weird restrictions, bugs and interface quirks. Pointing the nameservers to Cloudflare at least makes for a consistent experience.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters More Letters
CGNAT Carrier-Grade NAT
DNS Domain Name Service/System
IP Internet Protocol
NAS Network-Attached Storage
NAT Network Address Translation
SSL Secure Sockets Layer, for transparent encryption

6 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 7 acronyms.

[Thread #108 for this sub, first seen 5th Sep 2023, 14:05] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Cloudflare - largely because they don't add on extra fees.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

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/

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

Namecheap has been good to me for a decade now, and I don't really have complaints at all

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Looks like consensus is NameCheap or PorkBun

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

For the frugal sysadmin, Free DNS!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've been with namecheap.com for over a decade and I have no complaints

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Not Gandi. They were very reliable since the beginning of the internet but they sold the company and went downhill since.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Porkbun, mostly for the cost, transparency, clean UI, and ease of use.

I've used GoDaddy, namecheap, and Google Domains in the past. GoDaddy is the only one I had a problem with, but Google sold to Squarespace recently, and I prefer porkbun to namecheap for the reasons listed above.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

gandi.net , didn't haven't to pay for any privacy bullshit like whois masking, and all that stuff is enabled by default. I like them as a company.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Switched to Cloudflare since they had spots, never been unhappy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I currently renew my domains on namecheap and manage the records on cloudflare. Namecheap's web interface is trash (doesn't work in Firefox for no reason) and I dread every time I have to touch it. I'm currently considering just moving the registrations to cloudflare too.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Am I the only one using iWantMyName.com?

Like some of the others described here, I like that their ui is dead simple and easy to navigate, once a year when I have to renew. And their prices seem to be middle tier.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

name.com usually because I’m too dumb to remember any other domain name.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I was using Gandi for years, but they’ve started charging for mailboxes now. I have a lot of mailboxes that are hardly used, but I need to keep.

Just moved to namecheap based on reviews and so far they seem fine

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I use porkbun because i can and do pay with crypto to renew my domain.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've been using NameSilo for years, but they're jacking the prices up significantly starting this month. I had already just renewed my domains, so I'll probably use suggestions from this post for a transfer next year ...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I use NameSilo too, after bailing on NameCheap. FYI, the .com increases are from ICANN and industry-wide, so switching providers just for that won’t save much.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dnsimple for me. Swapped from GoDaddy like 10 years ago and haven't really felt the need to explore elsewhere, the costs are pretty good and never had any issues.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I purchase from the cheapest and use he.net for my nameservers.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Currently namecheap, but I was pretty mad to see that API access (for ACME DNS record auth, which I need to prevent downtime) was not available due to my yearly plan being too cheap (?!). You need to spend at least 50$ per months or have at least 20 domains for no good reason.

The best solution seems to acquire the domain using namecheap and then transfer name servers to a better service.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

AWS Route53. Lets me keep all my domains in one place. If Cloudflare did .au I’d switch to that.

load more comments
view more: next ›