When a Fediverse server is created, you have to give it its own name. This can be a domain name (example.com) or subdomain (social.example.com). People can use this server name when signing into their account on an app, or when using the server through a web browser.
Any suggestions for good domain names?
It’s totally up to you, but here are some suggestions that may make it easier for people to discover or promote your site:
- Memorable domain names are usually short and easy to spell
- If you’re wanting to reach an international audience, you might want to check that your domain name is easy to spell and pronounce in all the different languages of your visitors/users
- You may want to avoid offensive words, as they can cause links to your site to be automatically filtered out on platforms that have automatic moderation
- Avoid homonyms such as “night” and “knight”, because people may type the wrong one in
- Avoid trademarks, as the trademark owners may try to take the domain off you in the future
- Don’t impersonate the domain of other sites, you may lose your domain name if you do this
- Hyphens in domain names may cause problems as people often forget to insert them when typing it in, although this varies a lot depending on which country your audience is in
- It can be difficult to change a domain name for an online service, so try to choose something you’re going to be comfortable with years/decades into the future
Do I need to buy a new domain if I already have one?
If you already own a domain, you can use subdomains for all of your servers. Many people put their Mastodon server on the subdomain social.example.com, their PeerTube server on video.example.com etc.
Avoid mentioning the name of the software in your domain
It’s also probably a good idea to avoid mentioning your server’s software in its domain name. For example, if you were making a Mastodon server you probably shouldn’t mention the word Mastodon in the domain or subdomain. There are many reasons why:
- Software projects tend to change over the years, in their content, leadership or maintenance, and at some point you may prefer to switch your server to different software. It could be confusing for your users if your server mentions one kind of software but runs another.
- Software projects sometimes rename themselves, and this too can cause confusion if your domain refers to the old name.
- Software projects often trademark their names to prevent misuse, and only let servers use the name if they’re running that specific software. This could make it legally difficult for your server to transition to another kind of software in the future. (This isn’t a theoretical risk, this has actually happened in some cases.)
Couldn’t I just change the domain or subdomain if it causes difficulties?
You could change it, but it would cause far more trouble than it is worth. Changing a site’s domain or subdomain breaks links to it from other sites, breaks federation with other sites, and generally causes chaos technically. It’s much safer, easier and more reliable to just use a domain or subdomain that stays the same permanently.
Can I re-use a subdomain or domain from a defunct server on my new server?
It’s usually a bad idea to re-use subdomains or domains from existing servers that closed down. Click here for more info about this topic.
Can you provide a more detailed guide to choosing a domain name? Especially for non-technical people who haven’t done this before?
Yes, you can have a look at the Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Domain Name ⧉ over on Fedi.Tips’ sister site GrowYourOwn.Services