[OT] Domain Registrars

[Tim Watts]

Any recommendations? I'm looking for someone better than 123-Reg.

There is one caveat:

1) They MUST allow auto domain renewal against a stored credit card.

2) and ideally be better than 123 Reg (api access, controllable TTL to name two features).

The reason for (1) is that this is for work and work's accounting system requires each transaction is attributed to a particular cost code. I cannot use the card to "top up" a slush fund which is then used to auto renew domains - which discounts Ghandi (who I like in other respects).

So I was wondering if there was anyone else folk could recommend?

TIA

Tim

[Clive George]

For work, stored credit card seems like a poor idea. Either somebody who is prepared to do it on account and invoice like most business suppliers, or set up processes to ensure reminders are issued and noted, both internally and from the supplier.

I think we buy ours for a number of years, so a CC would be useless - it would often have expired at renewal. Though I may be getting confused with certificates. I'm pretty sure we don't auto-renew.

[Tim Watts]

Ours tend to be bought yearly and auto renewed until no longer needed.

I should add - we have a *lot* of domains and I don't have time to manually deal with them on a yearly basis (cannot afford to be overlooked and lose a domain to a scammer) and work has always been happy with the stored CC method.

[Chris French]

In message , Tim Watts writes

Some of my domains are with Fasthost and they have been fine.

Certainly they allow autorenewal. Dunno about your second point.

[Tim Watts]

Thanks - I'll have a look at them...

[mike]

I have a couple of domains with Fasthosts. The autorenewal via card works fine, they let you know well in advance that they're going to take the paym ent and also advise you if there's any problem with the card before renewal date so you have time to sort it out.

I suspect others might be a bit cheaper but Fasthosts seem reliable.

[cl]

TsoHost maybe, they're not just registrars but they do all the things you want above. Or alternatively gandi.

[Tim Watts]

Thanks for TsoHost - will look.

As noted already, Gandi do not do auto renews off stored CC - I asked.

[Theo Markettos]

Namecheap do both of the above:

TTL is a DNS thing, are you wanting someone to host your DNS as well?

I've used them for a number of years with no problems.

Theo

[Tim Watts]

Thanks - I'll check them out too...

[The Natural Philosopher]

Consider getting a VPS of your own - the cheapest will do - and hosting your own DNS on it.

Then all you do at e.g. 123-reg is to point the domain at your own DNS server.

[Tim Watts]

How much cheaper is that likely to be?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I wasn't aware that price was your problem.

A VPS can be as little as a hundred a year.

If you are on a fixed IP address you can even host it domestically on a POS PC or a raspberry PI...

You wont get a discount from the registrars tho.

But you will get absolute control over your DNS.

[Theo Markettos]

BTDT. You can get a VPS for a tenner a year, so the cost is minimal. However:

You need several, because you need redundancy You need a way to push zone files around (dial down TTLs, reload config, dial up again) You need to write zone files and check they are correct, rather than filling in boxes on webpages (it's easy to make errors like pointing MXes at CNAMEs) You need monitoring to know if one of the VPSes falls over You have nobody to blame if it breaks (And VPSes with a SLA are much more expensive)

I did this - it isn't rocket science. But it turned out to be more hassle than it's worth to maintain for my small domain estate. It didn't help that my setup ended up more complicated than it need be.

It could make sense if you change the zone files regularly (eg from some database) or you have a lot of domains to amortise the time cost over.

Theo

[Tim Watts]

It's not. Running DNSs is. I cannot - at least on my own cluster. And I see no need to run one outside, it's just more work for me. Most of our domains have 2-3 records (they are presentation domains for projects).

Not much point for us...

[Tim Watts]

I run a fairly complex DNS at home (all sorts of overrides for OpenDNS and Unblock-US and forcing Google into SafeSearch mode). I've also dealt with a large DNS at a previous work job.

I could do it - but it's a pointless exercise in this case. That decision has been made, by me, and I'm sticking with it :)

I'm just on the lookout for a Registrar (with DNS hosting) who's better than 123. Got a couple to look at, so I'll see what they're like :)

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Tim Watts escribió:

Names.co.uk. Used them for years (since they were ClickNames, then Serve360), no problems. They will auto-renew and also send out a pro forma for your records.

[tony sayer]

In article , Mike Tomlinson scribeth thus

Yes we use them too no, problems for around 10 years now!.

[Tim Watts]

Thank you - will certainly look at them...

[Dave Liquorice]

You must be the only customer who can say that. I would touch Fastho... .

Do you mean Fasthosts or Fasthost?