Register a .dev domain: HTTPS, rules, price and transfer

A .dev domain is Google Registry's extension for developers and technology. Anyone can register a .dev domain, and a website on .dev only opens over a secure HTTPS connection, so your site needs a valid SSL certificate. At LJPc hosting a .dev domain costs €22.99 a year excluding VAT, and with a hosting plan we request that certificate for you automatically.

Below you can read what .dev is, who can register one, why HTTPS is required, which address to use for local development, what .dev costs and how to register or transfer a .dev domain.

What is a .dev domain?

.dev is a generic top-level domain, like .com and .app. Its registry is Charleston Road Registry, better known as Google Registry. The extension has existed since 2014. Google announced its launch at the 2018 Chrome Dev Summit, and since 28 February 2019 anyone can register a .dev domain. Google Registry designed .dev for everything developers build: tools, platforms, documentation, open-source projects and blogs.

Because .dev is a generic extension, ICANN's global rules apply to transfers, changes of holder, expiry and disputes. ICANN is the organisation that sets the rules for generic extensions. How all these extensions came about is covered in the history of domain names.

Who can register a .dev domain?

Anyone. You do not have to be a professional developer: hobbyists, students, open-source maintainers and companies can all register a .dev domain, wherever they are based. You do not need a company registration number or a local address.

When you register, you do agree to the registry's rules:

• Correct details. The holder's name, address and email address are correct and you keep them up to date.
• Fair use. If you use a .dev domain for spam, malware, phishing or other abuse, the registry can block, cancel or transfer the domain.
• Other people's rights. Names are first come, first served. The registry does not check in advance whether you are entitled to a name; you are responsible for making sure it does not infringe someone else's trademark or name.

Why does a .dev website only work over HTTPS?

The entire .dev extension is on the HSTS preload list, as is .app. That list is built into Chrome, and Firefox, Safari and the other major browsers use lists based on it. For every domain on that list the browser only opens the HTTPS version. If a visitor types http://yourdomain.dev, the browser turns it into https://yourdomain.dev itself.

What that means for you:

• Your website needs a valid SSL certificate. Without a certificate, or with one that does not match your domain, the browser shows a warning that the connection is not secure. There is no button to continue anyway.
• Your subdomains are included. docs.yourdomain.dev or api.yourdomain.dev also only open over HTTPS. How a subdomain gets its certificate with us is covered in create and set up a subdomain.
• Your email works as usual. The HTTPS requirement is about websites in the browser. You set up email addresses on your .dev domain the same way as on any other domain.
• Your visitors are protected by default. Nobody can quietly send your visitors to an unencrypted version of your site. The HSTS header described in HTTP security headers is already built into the browser for .dev.

If your website is hosted with LJPc hosting, we take care of the certificate. Every fifteen minutes our system checks which sites do not have a valid certificate yet and requests a free Let's Encrypt certificate as soon as your domain and its www version point to your hosting plan. Until then the browser shows the warning instead of your website. The details are in Let's Encrypt: set up a free SSL certificate. If your site loads over HTTPS but an image or script is missing, see fix mixed content and HTTPS errors.

Only want to redirect your .dev domain to another website? The browser still opens https://yourdomain.dev first, so the redirecting domain needs its own certificate too. If you see a certificate warning after setting it up, open a support ticket and we will sort it out for you. More on redirects in redirect a domain to another website.

Can you use .dev for local development?

Do you use addresses like project.dev for sites running on your own machine? Because the entire .dev extension is on the HSTS preload list, your browser only opens such an address over HTTPS, even when it points to your own computer. And a name you make up may already belong to someone else on the internet.

For a local development environment, use an extension that is reserved for it:

These extensions are reserved in RFC 2606, so they never clash with a real extension on the internet. Keep your real .dev domain for what the world should see, such as your documentation or your portfolio.

Want to look at a website on our server before you switch your domain over? You do that with your real domain name in your hosts file, as described in test your website before changing DNS. For a test copy of a WordPress site, see create a staging copy with WP Toolkit.

When is .dev a good choice?

The extension tells visitors straight away what to expect: something by and for developers. That makes .dev a good fit for technical content.

Google treats .dev as a generic extension, like .com: the extension itself does not tie your website to a country. Whether people in a particular country find you depends on your website itself, such as the language of your content, a local address and links from other websites in that country. This is set out in Google's guidelines for multi-regional websites.

What rules does a .dev name follow?

• Length. 1 to 63 characters, not counting the .dev extension.
• Characters. The letters a to z, the digits 0 to 9 and the hyphen. A hyphen cannot be the first or last character.
• Accented letters and other scripts. The registry also allows names with accented letters, such as é, ë and ü, and names in scripts including Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese and Japanese. You can type a name with accents straight into the order wizard in the portal. Not every email program or web form handles these characters well, so for your main domain a name without accents is the safer choice.
• Two-letter names. With a two-letter name you do not suggest that you are linked to a government or to the manager of a country-code extension.
• Reserved and premium names. The registry holds back some names, such as those of the Red Cross, the IOC and international organisations. It offers others as premium names at a higher yearly price.

If the wizard shows Premium domain, contact us next to a name, you order that name through a support ticket; the button opens the ticket for you. How that works is covered in order a website in the customer portal.

How much does a .dev domain cost at LJPc?

A .dev domain costs €22.99 a year at LJPc hosting, excluding VAT. You pay the same amount to transfer an existing .dev domain to us: a transfer adds a year to the domain's term. Prices differ between providers. The order wizard shows the price before you order, and our domain names page lists the current prices of all extensions.

You add hosting for your website and email as you need it. Our plans are on the web hosting page.

How to register a .dev domain at LJPc

1. Log in at portal.ljpc.nl and click Add a website on the dashboard, or open the order wizard directly. No account yet? Create one first.
2. Choose I am looking for one or want to register one and type the name with .dev, for example yourdomain.dev. You see straight away whether it is available and what it costs per year, with other extensions alongside.
3. Select the .dev domain and then what it should do: a hosting plan, DNS management only, a redirect plan, or a server or hosting space you already have with us. With a hosting plan your .dev website gets its certificate automatically.
4. In the cart, check the Registration contact: the details the domain is registered under. For .dev your regular contact details are enough: the cart asks for nothing extra.
5. Accept the terms and conditions and complete your order. We then handle the registration with the registry.

Every option in the order wizard is covered in register a domain and link it to your hosting. Your .dev domain then appears in the portal under Services > Domain names. If the name you want is taken, domain backorders explains how to claim it for the moment it becomes available.

What LJPc takes care of for your .dev domain

• Automatic renewal every year. Automatic renewal is on by default, so your .dev domain keeps running as long as your subscription does. To stop, see cancel a domain or hosting.
• A free certificate. With a hosting plan we request the certificate for your domain and its www version automatically, and Plesk renews it for you after that.
• DNS and DNSSEC. Your domain gets our nameservers ns1.ljpc.network, ns2.ljpc.network and ns3.ljpc.network, and we switch DNSSEC on automatically. How that protection works is explained in what is DNSSEC.
• Developer tools. Git, Composer, Node.js and Laravel Toolkit are ready for you in Plesk, as described in Git, Node.js and Laravel in Plesk. Prefer the command line? SSH access to your hosting explains how to request it.
• Your transfer code always at hand. On your domain's page in the portal, the transfer code is in the Authorization code block.
• The transfer lock under your control. With the Transfer lock switch you turn the transfer lock of your .dev domain on or off yourself.
• Your details under your control. You update the contact details of your domain yourself in the portal, as described in manage the WHOIS data of your domain. If the domain needs to move to someone else's name, see change the owner of a domain: for .dev you first approve the change through an email in your portal inbox.

Transfer your .dev domain to LJPc

You transfer a .dev domain with a transfer code, also called an authorization code or EPP code. Your current provider gives you this code.

1. Are your website and email moving too? Set them up with us first, because a domain transfer does not move your website and email for you. Migrate your website to LJPc explains how. Our system requests the certificate as soon as your domain points to your hosting plan with us, so plan that switch for a quiet moment.
2. Ask your current provider for the transfer code and have the transfer lock on the domain turned off.
3. Open the order wizard, choose I already have one at another registrar, enter your .dev domain and choose Transfer to LJPc. Enter the transfer code. The portal checks straight away whether the transfer can go ahead with that code.
4. Choose your hosting or DNS management only and complete your order. We start the transfer and you follow its status in the portal.

Under ICANN's transfer rules a .dev domain moves within five days at most, as long as your current provider does not reject the transfer. That provider may block a transfer in the first 60 days after registration or after a previous transfer, and after a change of holder a 60-day transfer lock applies by default. How to follow the transfer and what to do if it gets stuck is covered in transfer your domain to LJPc.

Transfer your .dev domain from LJPc to another provider

If your .dev domain is moving to another provider, you handle the transfer code and the transfer lock yourself in the portal:

1. Open the page of your .dev domain in the portal.
2. In the Authorization code block, click Show to see the transfer code, or Copy to copy it.
3. In the Domain overview block, find Transfer lock and click the switch so it shows Off.
4. Give the code to your new provider, who uses it to request the transfer.

What else is involved, such as ending your subscription with us, is covered in get your transfer code and transfer your domain.

Keep your .dev domain at another registrar

If you want to keep your .dev domain at your current registrar and only host your website or email with us, the domain stays where it is. You connect it with our nameservers, as described in change your nameservers, or with individual DNS records, as described in point a domain at another provider to LJPc hosting. As soon as your domain points to your hosting plan, your website gets its certificate automatically in that case too. Not sure where your domain is registered? Look it up with who manages my domain.

Expired or cancelled

After its expiry date a .dev domain follows the same ICANN rules as .com: first a period in which only the holder can get the domain back through their registrar, after which the name becomes available to everyone. Google Registry allows a 30-day redemption period after deletion. How long each phase lasts and what the statuses in the portal mean is covered in expired domains and quarantine. If the portal shows Expired, Redemption period or Pending delete for your .dev domain, open a support ticket right away.

Received an invoice or renewal email for your .dev domain from a company you do not know? Hold off on paying. How to spot a fake domain invoice shows what to look for.

WHOIS and disputes

For .dev, Google Registry runs a lookup service based on the newer RDAP standard instead of a classic WHOIS server. It shows which registrar manages a domain, its status and when it was registered and expires. The holder's name, address and email address are not in it: the registrar keeps those details. Anyone with a legitimate reason can request them through the registrar.

If someone claims rights to a .dev name, for example because it is their trademark, that goes through ICANN's dispute policy (UDRP), the rapid suspension procedure URS, or the courts. The registry's rules, such as its registration policy and its policy against abuse, are on Google Registry's policy page.

Not sure whether .dev suits you, or is a transfer stuck? Open a support ticket and we will look into it with you.