.dev Domain Registrationfrom £23.72/yr
Why Choose a .dev Domain?
The .dev TLD was launched by Google Registry in February 2019 after being held in reserve for years. It's aimed squarely at software developers, engineering teams and technology projects. A defining feature: every .dev domain is included on the HSTS preload list, which means HTTPS is enforced at the browser level. You cannot serve a .dev site over plain HTTP, so a valid SSL certificate is mandatory from day one.
Ideal for:
- Open-source project websites and documentation portals
- Personal portfolios for software engineers
- Internal tooling and developer-facing APIs
- Tech blogs, tutorials and coding bootcamps
- Engineering team pages within larger companies
Things to know:
- Unrestricted — anyone, anywhere can register a .dev domain.
- HTTPS is mandatory. You'll need a valid TLS certificate before the site loads in any modern browser.
- Operated by Google Registry (Charleston Road Registry), the same operator behind .app and .page.
- Some short, common or dictionary-word names are classed as premium and carry higher registration and renewal fees.
Creative .dev Domain Ideas
- quietship.dev — personal portfolio for a backend engineer
- kettle.dev — homepage for an open-source CLI tool
- parsetree.dev — blog covering compilers and language design
- shipfast.dev — landing page for a CI/CD SaaS product
- juniorto.dev — coding bootcamp and mentorship community
- api.acmecorp.dev — public developer documentation for a company API
Frequently asked questions about .dev
Anyone. There are no eligibility restrictions, so individuals, freelancers, agencies and companies can all register .dev domains regardless of country or profession. While the extension is marketed toward developers and technology projects, the registry does not verify that you work in tech, so use cases beyond software are entirely permitted.
The entire .dev TLD is on the HSTS preload list, which is built into Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. Browsers will refuse to load a .dev domain over plain HTTP. You'll need a valid TLS certificate before launching, but free options like Let's Encrypt make this straightforward.
You can register a .dev domain for between one and ten years at a time. Longer registration periods protect you against price changes and accidental lapses, and they can also be a small positive signal to search engines that the site is intended to be long-lived rather than disposable.
Yes. Unlock the domain at your current registrar, request the authorisation (EPP) code, and start the inbound transfer. The transfer typically completes within five to seven days and adds a year to the registration term. The domain must be at least 60 days old and not within 60 days of a previous transfer.
After expiry the domain enters a renewal grace period of around 30 days during which you can renew at the standard price. After that it moves into a redemption period for roughly 30 more days where recovery is possible but carries a hefty redemption fee. Once redemption ends, the name is released for public registration.