Knowledgebase

Domain Registration

1. Choosing a Domain Name: This is the first step where you select a unique name for your website. It should be easy to remember, relevant to your content or business, and typically reflects your brand name or the nature of your site.

2. Selecting a Domain Registrar: A domain registrar is a company authorized to sell domain names. You'll need to choose one to register your domain. Examples include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and and of course, WebPal Cloud.

3. Checking Availability: Once you've chosen a name, the registrar will check if it's available. If it's already taken, you may have to choose a different name or a different top-level domain (TLD) like .net, .org, etc., instead of .com.

4. Registration Process: If the name is available, you can proceed with the registration. This typically involves providing your contact information and paying a registration fee. The information you provide is listed in the public WHOIS database unless you opt for privacy protection.

5. Setting Name Servers: During registration, you'll be asked to provide the nameservers for your domain, which connect your domain name to the website's actual location (IP address) on the web. Our WebPal Cloud Name Servers are (we recommend to set at least 3 name servers):

   • ns1.dnsboxes.net
   • ns2.dnsboxes.net
   • ns3.dnsboxes.net
   • ns4.dnsboxes.net
   • ns5.dnsboxes.net

Domain Renewals

1. Expiration: Domains are registered for a specific period, usually between 1 to 10 years. After this period, the registration expires.

2. Renewal Notification: Registrars typically send reminders as the expiration date approaches.

3. Renewal Process: You can renew your domain through your registrar, usually by paying a renewal fee. It's often possible to set up auto-renewal to avoid the domain expiring unintentionally.

4. Grace Period and Redemption: If you don't renew on time, the domain enters a grace period during which you can still renew it. After the grace period, it goes into a redemption period, where recovery is still possible but typically more expensive.

Domain Transfers

1. Initiating Transfer: This involves moving your domain from one registrar to another. You may transfer your domain registered with GoDaddy.com to WebPal Cloud, and vice-versa. This can happen at any time, and does not need to wait until the domain renewal. However, typically, there is no refund of registration fees to be expected from the origin provider.
2. Transfer Authorization: You'll need an authorization code from your (current) origin registrar and may need to unlock the domain for transfer.
3. Approval and Completion: The new registrar will initiate the transfer process, which typically takes a few days to complete.

Redundant Name Servers and DNS Hosting

1. DNS (Domain Name System): The DNS infrastructure, among other services (see below), translates domain names into IP addresses.
   
   
2. DNS Hosting: Just like many registrars, we provide DNS hosting services with our Personal and Business website hosting packages. While it is not strictly necessary to host DNS and your website with the same provider, hosting your DNS with the web application itself simplifies the process of SSL Certificate maintenance, email spam protection, and many other hosting-related services. 
3. Redundant Name Servers: Our DNS hosting services include backup servers that provide DNS services in case the primary server fails. This redundancy ensures continuous availability of your website. Our primary name server is ns1.dnsboxes.net, and backup servers ns2.dnsboxes.net to ns5.dnsboxes.net, all located in different data centers and jurisdictions.
4. DNS Zones: A DNS zone lists all DNS records for your domain in a single file. "DNS hosting" basically involves making the contents of this file publicly accessible for high-speed querying, thus providing a fast way for all machines on the internet to query the records related to your domain. 
   
   
5. DNS Zone Records: Include various types of data, not just IP addresses. For instance, SPF records specify which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain, and DMARC records define how email receivers should handle non-aligned emails.
6. Propagation: When you make changes to your DNS records, usually these changes are sent to upstream popular name servers immediately, but there is no guarantee as DNS resolution is basically a free service. You can verify the status of your DNS propagation at dnschecker.org - a service that queries a large list of popular name services (Google, CloudFlare, Bell, Telus, etc).

Summary

• Choosing and registering a domain name involves selecting a unique name and a registrar, checking for availability, and setting up nameservers.
• Renewals are crucial to maintain ownership of the domain, with options for auto-renewal and understanding grace and redemption periods.
• DNS hosting involves managing the DNS records that connect your domain to your website and email, with choices between registrar-provided or third-party services.