Use Dreamhost domain registration?

What is the general consensus on using Dreamhost for domain registration (assuming you are hosting with them)?

I've been teaching a simple lecture a couple times a year at a crafts/trade school I attended. It's a bit of the blind leading the blind, but I think it helps some people. Anyway, I've always recommended that they register their domains with someone else, like GoDaddy.

This was mostly because that seemed like the general recommendation from the web-public. The reasoning being that if the host went under, or they were less than reputable then you could have problems reclaiming your domain...at least that's what I told people.

So, I've hosted with DH for a year and a half now and feel pretty comfortable with them. I like their attitude and have no problem recommending them for hosting services. I would just as soon take advantage of the free domain or give them the $10 a year for extra domain registration than give it to GoDaddy...and their private registration is free, so it's actually cheaper than GoDaddy too (about $18-$19 with private registration now I think).

Am I fretting over nothing here so I should just go ahead and recommend domain registration with DH or should I stick with keeping the two separate?

What happens if Dallas, Josh and company are all at one of their parties and a meteor wipes them all out (okay, I guess there are more likely scenarios that could lead to similar problems, but this one has more flair)....is there some way to reclaim your domain through ICANN or whoever the organization is that oversees domain registration if DH just drops off the map for some reason, or are you really kinda screwed?

If GoDaddy keeps spending millions on Superbowl commercials, they could go under some day too...so is it really any safer with them?

Any thoughts?

Thanks, D.


Edited by dbailey on 09/05/07 10:06 PM (server time).

Generally, domain registration through ICAAN registrars is safe, though not without problems as those who registered at Registerfly found out.

The only real time you'll have serious problems is if trouble happens around the time your domain is up for renewal.

The only problem with recommending DreamHost for pure domain registration without hosting is that DreamHost doesn't provide DNS services for free. Your students will need to sign up with a free DNS service like everydns.net or editdns.net. I would normally recommend zoneedit.com as I had used them for years, but I've been reading some anecdotal evidence of a decline in service and have dialed back to a guarded recommendation. BTW, I have no experience with everydns.net or editdns.net, but am just passing their names along for you to research.

Thanks for the input Lensman. I would actually be recommending domain registration AND hosting with DH, not just domain registration. In this case I am assuming DH handles all DNS services....free for the first domain and $10/year for registration and DNS services for each additional domain. Correct?

Thanks, D.

Yes, DH handles all DNS services.

When you sign up any plan, you'll get a free domain and a free dreamhosters subdomain.

As long as you keep your hosting plan, the free domains are always free for you. But if you want to have additional domains, you need to pay $9.95 for each.

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Thanks for the input Lensman. I would actually be recommending domain registration AND hosting with DH, not just domain registration.

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Oops, apologies for the misunderstanding!

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In this case I am assuming DH handles all DNS services....free for the first domain and $10/year for registration and DNS services for each additional domain. Correct?

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Yes, in that case they'd certainly automatically handle all DNS entries for the sites that your students host on their hosting account. In addition if they wanted to add some custom DNS entries - to host a domain or subdomain somewhere else, say, the DreamHost panel would provide full editing capability for any custom DNS entries they'd need to add.