Summary

This month we pushed new webhooks (domain.expiration and domain.transfer.internal_out) that improve domain lifecycle processes. On the content side, a new name.dev guide breaks down the three ways ccTLD registrations fail, and a video walkthrough now accompanies our CNAME records guide.

What’s new in July

Domain lifecycle webhooks

Two new webhooks let you react to domain lifecycle events without polling.

  • domain.expiration fires when a domain expires and enters the post-expiry grace period. The payload carries eventName, domainName, and expirationDate.
  • domain.transfer.internal_out fires when a name.com domain is transferred out of a subscriber's account to another name.com account. It's the outbound counterpart to the existing internal_in event; subscribe to both to keep account-to-account moves in sync.

Reads the full docs: Domain Expiration | Internal Transfer Out

Also new this month

  • Domain-registration rate limit — Create Domain now throttles registrations for selected TLDs, returning 429 with a Retry-After header. Create Domain
  • transferLockExpiresAt — a read-only field showing when an ICANN-mandated transfer lock lifts, so you can tell users when a domain can be unlocked or transferred. Get Domain
  • Vanity nameservers — Create now returns 409 Conflict for a duplicate hostname on the domain. Create Vanity Nameserver
  • List Records — now returns 400 Bad Request for invalid parameters. List Records
  • List endpoints — documented the page minimum and added 400s for bad pagination params.
  • Spec cleanups — clearer docs for Get Pricing, TLD Price List, Download Premium Domain Lists, DNSSEC, and URL Forwarding, with no behavior changes.

See the full changelog for every entry.

New guide: Why ccTLD registrations fail (and how to fix them)

Register a .com and a rejection almost always means a duplicate name or a billing problem. Register a .de, a .ca, or a .us and the rulebook changes, because every country code registry sets its own eligibility, contact, and validation rules. That's why ccTLD registrations fail at a higher rate than gTLD registrations, and why the same 400 Bad Request can mean two completely different things.

Our new guide, Why ccTLD registrations fail (and how to fix them), maps the three failure categories you'll hit with ccTLDs: API validation errors the platform catches before your request reaches the registry, registry rejections that come back after submission, and eligibility blocks where the registrant simply doesn't qualify.

Read the guide

namecom-cli (beta)

Still worth a look if you missed it last month: a beta CLI for the name.com API is on GitHub. Check availability, register and renew, manage DNS, handle transfers, and get a portfolio status overview from the terminal. Check out the June digest for a full writeup.

Learn more on GitHub

CNAME records guide, now with video

Our CNAME records guide — when to use them, when to avoid them, and the pitfalls that trip up production — now has a companion video walkthrough. Same guidance, in a format you can follow along with while you build.

Check out the guide

ICYMI from June

  • Hercules registers hundreds of domains from a single prompt. Hercules went from API key to production in three days, then launched an MCP that lets their users register hundreds of domains and launch hundreds of sites through most AI chat apps. Read the case study
  • Our report on AI and digital identity. We surveyed 1,120 decision-makers and interviewed AI and tech leaders on how AI is reshaping domain strategy. Read the full report

API partner spotlight: Beacons.ai

Domains and reseller solutions have helped us grow our user base, revenue, and LTV.

Neal JeanCEO / Beacons

Beacons, the creator platform behind millions of link-in-bio pages, integrated the name.com API in one week. Following the integration, they tripled paid accounts, doubled domain revenue, and lifted customer LTV by 15%. Their story is a clear read on how in-product domains become a primary driver of free-to-paid conversion.

Read the Beacons case study

Events & Community

Just wrapped: Laracon

name.com Laracon Boston team photo
The name.com team at our booth at Laracon Boston.

Laracon Boston was a blast. Our marketing and dev teams spent two days in sessions and at the booth, talking shop with the developers who stopped by.

Coming up:

  • Let's Vibe — Monthly vibe coding meetups in Denver, CO. We're the pizza sponsor. Check letsvibe.org for the next dates and get local with our Denver team.
  • API World — September 1–3, Santa Clara, CA.
  • Future Product Days — September 22–24, Copenhagen, Denmark.

If you'll be at any of these, get in touch. We'd love to connect.

Quick links

Anticipating big volume? Growing fast? Get in touch with our team to discuss custom pricing and features.