Mastodawn

Hi everyone! How are you all doing tonight? I just had a frustrating experience trying to set up a free #domain or #subdomain for my #SelfHosted services. Unfortunately, I can't use my laniecarmelo.tech domain because its current configuration doesn't allow me to add subdomains.
I discovered EU.org, which offers free domains, and decided to give it a try. However, they require you to have authoritative #DNS #nameservers before requesting a domain. I tried using #Cloudflare, but it wasn't authoritative. Then I looked into Hostry.com, Hurricane Electric DNS, and FreeDNS.
Hostry requires you to add DNS records for your domain before using their service—but how can I do that when my domain doesn’t exist yet? 🤦‍♀️ As for FreeDNS and Hurricane Electric, both have inaccessible #CAPTCHAs on their registration forms with no audio alternatives! 😡
At this point, I'm so frustrated that I've decided to take a break from figuring this out. If anyone has tips for setting up a free domain or knows of accessible DNS services, I’d really appreciate your advice! 🙏
#Accessibility #TechFrustration #WebHosting #BlindTech #blind #DisabilityInTech #tech #Technology #SelfHosting
@selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main

Bruce Elrick Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main
I'm assuming by "current configuration" you have a DNS host that doesn't allow adding NS records? One thing you might be able to do is create records like:

host1.subdomain.laniecarmelo.tech A 1.2.3.4
host2.subdomain.laniecarmelo.tech A 1.2.3.5

In my DNS host I can create a host1.subdomain A record without creating an actual subdomain (e.g. creating a subdomain.laniecarmelo.tech NS record).

Lanie Carmelo Jan 10, 2025

@virtuous_sloth @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main No, my situation is weird. My domain is hosted on Porkbun.com but its nameservers point to Vultr.com, where my WordPress install is hosted on a friend's server. Porkbun won't let me edit DNS records or do much of anything with my domain unless I change back to the default nameservers, which would break my WordPress setup.

Bruce Elrick Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main
ah, gotcha. I do hope that you find a solution.

Grumpy Jan 10, 2025

I don’t use porkbun so I can’t guide you in detail. But look for “glue records”. Some will just call this nameservers, ns record, or some other confusing and ambiguous lingo (like GoDaddy…). Glue records are separate from rest of the auth DNS servers. Even though you are essentially doing an A record.

So if you have example.com on porkbun, and auth nameservers for this same domain is going to be elsewhere, you can set glue records. Like…

ns1.example.com ns2.example.com

With specific IPs like 123.123.123.123

This will allow you to essentially do the first step and not end up in a cyclic problem of one requiring the other.

I assume this is what you’re referring to as the problem.

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@Grumpy @RareBird15 No. Glue records serve a specific need and have nothing to do with the problem depicted here. They are relevant only when having in-bailiwick nameservers, and your registrar will handle that when you create the host objects (that is change the nameservers at registry side), it has nothing to do with content of the zone.

bravemonkey Jan 10, 2025

Sorry, what’s preventing you from adding the subdomains in the Vultr DNS?

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @virtuous_sloth @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main There is nothing "weird" in having 2 separate companies, one for registration, one for hosting/DNS provider. IF your nameservers are Vultr.com ones currently, this is where you should edit your zone. You can only edit records at your DNS provider, where the domain is registered has no influence on how it gets resolved.

Bruce Elrick Jan 10, 2025

@pmevzek @RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main
Thanks for pointing that out, Patrick. When I read "weird" I think my brain turned off and didn't process the rest of the sentence.

Lanie, perhaps try the trick I described above to create dotted records in your main domain. This saves you from having to having to stand up your own DNS server for the subdomain or have to pay for hosting a second domain.

Christopher Duffley - KC1WXP Jan 10, 2025

@pmevzek @RareBird15 @virtuous_sloth @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main Indeed. I have my own cPanel server as my own DNS server and also Hover, but that's only as a backup and also for where my domain (chrisduffley.com) actually is. I set my own Mastodon subdomain up via an A record, no need to make a whole set for just 1 IP lol, and it's working flawlessly!

Christopher Duffley - KC1WXP Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @virtuous_sloth @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main Then in this case you may want to ask them to add a subdomain a record for you at Vultr that way it doesn't break your current setup. However, I don't think that nameservers actually have anything to do with WordPress, just your A record pointing to the correct IP address, and also any CNAME records if any. It just matters that your records match at the new nameservers (for A records anyway). HTH!

ocean Jan 10, 2025

This seems overly complicated. Why not just get a domain on cloud flare for $10? Are free domains even a thing outside github pages

Lanie Carmelo Jan 10, 2025

@ocean Honestly, I didn't know cloudflare domains were that cheap. Also, yes, there's eu.org and a couple other ways to get free domains.

ocean Jan 10, 2025

I’ve only hosted public sites for a year or so but cloudflare, cloudflare proxy, pointing at my servers is very easy :)

.coms are the cheapest at 10.44 I think

Andrei Jan 10, 2025

.sbs $1.74 USD/yr

Andy in Arlington Jan 10, 2025

@ocean so one can self host with Cloudflare? I already have a domain withwith another registrar but am interested in self hosting a small web site but was not sure how to get past the issue of getting a static IP address from my ISP.

ocean Jan 10, 2025

You can import or manage them through cloudflare. Does your IP change a lot? If so then you should use duckdns. I think a cloudflare tunnel may also fix this. Personally mine hasn’t changed in months so I haven’t had to deal with it.

Of course it will now change any moment now

Adrian Talpa 🚨Jan 11, 2025

@AndySquires you can register the domain with any register you like and host the DNS zone at cloudflare. Using cloudflare argo tunnels you don't care for a static IP unless you self host something else than HTTP(s)/SSH or RDP traffic

adarza Jan 10, 2025

iirc, cloudflare domains are literally at cost.

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@ocean @RareBird15 Might want to read the fine prints. Cloudflare will require you to use their nameservers. You can't choose the DNS provider you wish. Maybe fine, maybe not, but has to be taken into account, I was too often in threads where people complain to late that their domain is now tied to Cloudflare nameservers.

ocean Jan 10, 2025

I don’t see why that’s a problem, I want to use their security features and proxy :)

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@ocean I am not judging myself if this is a problem or not, as it is subjective and depends on a whole context, so it will differ for each case. Just saying "be aware of that, and the consequences of it, make sure that don't get against the goals you have set". Basically, "buyers beware".

ocean Jan 10, 2025

Yeah, it is good to be aware!

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@ocean @RareBird15 Free domains no, because registrars and registries have to live, except of course out of subdomains like `eu.org` and others. Free DNS hosting, yes that exists. Sometimes with conditions, like on volume. Because there are economies of scale there, and for small volumes a couple of VMs on any host can be enough.

Jude Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main i will recommend transferring your domain to cloudflare. They have a great API which can be used in popular proxy. I use Cloudflare and Traefik as my cert solution. Before i switched over to Traefik i was using Nginx Proxy Manager(one of the easier to use out there).

Lanie Carmelo Jan 10, 2025

@jude_boi @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main I'll check it out. Not sure how that would work with my current setup where my WordPress site is installed on Vultr. Also, I already paid for 3 years with my domain on Porkbun.

Jude Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main
if you don't mind could you use this method https://docs.linuxserver.io/general/swag/ and reverse proxy your site. Maybe it might solve your issue. Rather than worrying about DNS, just point Porkbun to the vps IP

SWAG - LinuxServer.io

Welcome to the home of the LinuxServer.io documentation!

JPL Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main desec.io has an audio captcha

JPL Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main Also, having to add NS entries before registering the domain is the usual way. Most registrars even check that on registration, I'd say

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@jpl @RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main But technically you can totally register a domain without nameservers. Or later remove nameservers totally from a registered domain. Registration and resolution are separate things, even if they intersect, at least at the registrar when setting nameservers (sent to the registry which in turn publish them)

Patrick Mevzek Jan 10, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind @main "but how can I do that when my domain doesn’t exist yet?" I am not sure to understand your specific context, but do note that you can configure any nameserver to be authoritative on any fictional name you want, and make sure it replies properly. It doesn't matter (won't be used by anyone) until the *delegation* (from parent) is being set, which happens at the registrar where you define nameservers for the domain.

Adrian Talpa 🚨Jan 11, 2025

@RareBird15 @selfhost @selfhosting @selfhosted @mastoblind what exactly do you mean? Cloudflare will be authoritative once you host your DNS zone with them. A dig for SOA RR shows this in my case

ANSWER SECTION: talpa.ie. 1800 IN SOA heidi.ns.cloudflare.com. dns.cloudflare.com

I'd stay away from eu.org free domain names though and get a .com for roughly 12 dollars, even less in the first year...

Omega Jan 11, 2025

You can get different LTD for cheaper too

My .work is 6 a month

Jenseitsjens Jan 11, 2025

I’m pretty sure he means 12$/year. 6$ per month is pretty expensive for a domain.

Omega Jan 11, 2025

Oh right I meant year

fmstrat Jan 11, 2025

What’s with all the hashtags in the title?

sudoer777 Jan 11, 2025

Probably a Mastodon user

Lanie Carmelo Jan 11, 2025

@fmstrat Not sure what you mean. I included hashtags in my post, but there was no title to it or anything.

Lanie Carmelo Jan 11, 2025

@fmstrat Ah yeah just noticed you're on Lemmy. Yeah I'm posting from Mastodon.

fmstrat Jan 11, 2025

Ahhh that makes sense.