How to get a free domain name for your website

If you want to create a website, you will need a domain name to identify it on the internet. A domain name is a unique address that users can type in their browsers to access your site. For example, google.com is a domain name.

But how can you get a domain name for your website? And do you have to pay for it?

The answer is: it depends.

There are different types of domain names, and some of them are free, while others are not. Let's see what they are and how to get them.

Top-level domains (TLDs)

A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of a domain name, such as .com, .org, .net, etc. These are the most common and popular domain names, and they are usually not free. You have to buy them from a domain registrar, which is a company that sells and manages domain names. The price of a TLD can vary depending on the registrar, the popularity of the domain name, and the duration of the registration. Typically, a TLD can cost anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars per year.

Subdomains

A subdomain is a part of a domain name that comes before the TLD, such as blog.google.com, which is a subdomain of google.com. A subdomain can be used to create a separate website or a section of a website under the same domain name. For example, you can use a subdomain to create a blog, a forum, a store, or a portfolio for your website.

The good news is that subdomains are usually free. You can create as many subdomains as you want under your own domain name, or under a domain name that belongs to someone else. For example, if you have a website called mysite.com, you can create subdomains like blog.mysite.com, store.mysite.com, etc. Or, if you don't have a domain name, you can use a free service like FreeDNS to get a subdomain under a domain name that they provide, such as mysite.cloudwatch.net, mysite.freedns.org, etc.

The downside of subdomains is that they are not as professional and memorable as TLDs. They also depend on the availability and reliability of the domain name that they are based on. For example, if the domain name cloudwatch.net goes down or expires, your subdomain mysite.cloudwatch.net will also go down or become unavailable.

How to get a free subdomain

If you want to get a free subdomain for your website, you can follow these steps:

1. Visit FreeDNS and create a free account.
2. From the long list of available domain names, select one that you like and that has a public status.
3. Provide your current home public IP address as the destination for your subdomain. You can find your IP address by visiting a website like What Is My IP Address.
4. Register your new subdomain and make sure to test it with nslookup to confirm that it is now pointing to your home IP address.
5. Congratulations, you have a free subdomain for your website!

Conclusion

Getting a free domain name for your website is possible, but it comes with some limitations and drawbacks. A free subdomain can be a good option for testing, learning, or experimenting with web development, but it is not recommended for a serious or professional website. For that, you will need a proper domain name that you can buy from a reputable domain registrar. A proper domain name will give you more credibility, control, and flexibility over your website and its online presence.