I've used FreeDNS on occasion for test domain names, one-off experiments, and similar. I'm very appreciative this exists, but there are some pain points that similar services handle better.<p>The domains are missing from the public suffix list. This impacts how cookies are handled by the domain names, with concerns the browser will allow software to set the cookie on the shared domain name instead of the subdomain. This can be a security problem. Getting added to the PSL may not happen: <a href="https://github.com/publicsuffix/list/pull/79" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/publicsuffix/list/pull/79</a><p>It can be difficult to get a free HTTPS certificate for your subdomain. Let's Encrypt applies per-domain name rate limits and these domain names see lots of issuance requests. There's a process to lift those limits, but last I checked FreeDNS didn't use it. You can still, of course, pay for a certificate.<p>There's tons of abuse on free domains so you may find that your domain is blocked on various lists.<p>Here are some compelling alternatives I use now, which manage these issues better:<p>- <a href="https://messwithdns.net/" rel="nofollow">https://messwithdns.net/</a> - Exceptionally well-made DNS console for learning DNS<p>- <a href="https://open-domains.com/" rel="nofollow">https://open-domains.com/</a> - Uses Cloudflare, great Discord group<p>- Even more: <a href="https://free.hrsn.dev/#/?id=domains" rel="nofollow">https://free.hrsn.dev/#/?id=domains</a>
This is one of the most solid and longest lasting services online. Have been using it for almost two decades I think and nothing's changed.
Their backup DNS service is great, so you can run your own DNS with just one server.<p><a href="https://nic.eu.org/" rel="nofollow">https://nic.eu.org/</a> is also very cool for getting a domain name if paying for one is a challenge.
This looks so much like <a href="https://dns.he.net/" rel="nofollow">https://dns.he.net/</a> that it seems to me it can’t be a coincidence. Is this a case of copying a well known design or is there more to it?
It's possible they are both descendants from XName: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120625081138/http://source.xname.org/" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20120625081138/http://source.xna...</a>
The "portal" layout style was very popular on Web 1.0, reminds me of PHP-Nuke.
My online diary started with PHP-Nuke. Then went to PostNuke for many years. Then to Drupal, where it still is. 26 years of content hehe. (Wish I’d picked Wordpress instead of Drupal but too many links to change now)
omg, invoking php-nuke brings me back. fun era (recent php2shell wild ride notwithstanding). Honestly it's more like web 1.5 - not straight up hand written html but no wild client side stuff either.<p>And yes, there absolutely was a "look" that's a product of the technology of the time - tables for design, limited styling / js support, php "components" that you could load and replace as part of your portal, and "themes".
Thank you - flashback achieved!
> PHP-Nuke<p>There's a name I haven't heard in a while!
Doesn't look that similar to me, they both just look a bit old.
I wouldn't think much of it. It was a popular design trend for a while there; some just never updated. I don't blame them, it's fairly decent on readability and minimalism.
Happy freeloader for something like 15 years, can recommend
I literally launched my development and web career on the back of this service as a broke early-20s person. Just seeing that link on HN gave me goosebumps. <3
I am interested, but I have some questions that don't seem to be addressed in the about us page:<p>How well is continuation guaranteed?<p>What if someone buys them? Or the maintainer stops for whatever reason?
afraid.org has been there offering free DNS hosting since the year 2000, 26 years<p>Whilst it would be nice to know their contingency and continuity plans, I feel like their history is a better indicator of the future than just a bunch of feel-good words that you'd likely find a way to interpret pesssimisticly anyway.
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So to get this straight this is just hosted DNS? Like Route53? They aren’t a registrar or anything?<p>So you could pay for hosted DNS and then use them as the name server and other DNS records for multiple domains that you have?
It is like Route53. However, you cannot buy domain names from FreeDNS.<p>You can use FreeDNS as a name server and manage domain name records, like A records, cname, and MX records. You can have a dynamic domain name too.<p>You can also obtain free sub domain names from those who use FreeDNS as the name server and offer free sub domain names.
Can someone explain how and why and when this would be used?
I use one of their "dynamic domain" as a stable address to point to my home computer : example.mooo.com instead of using the IP. They provide an endpoint for a cron to update this IP each X time.
I guess it could be seen as a relic considering most registrars/cdns/hosts are a "full package" now. In the days of old that wasn't exactly the case; where you bought your domain name, where you controlled your dns, and where your systems lived could all be different entities. Nowadays there are still reasons to do so...more control and less centralization are some. Not everyone wants to be under the thumb of the Amazons/Googles/Cloudflares.
When you want to host your own nameserver but to lazy to configure it on your colocated server. Yet you have requirements that require a nameserver.<p>I've been paying customer for years. Branded nameservers are great, the web ui is janky and dated but seriously robust.<p>Support is lacking as for a while afraid.org has had an SSL cert error, very annoying.
similarly, someone please explain why a free citizen would voluntarily use a Google DNS service that builds profiles and extensive activity records on its users
I am a free tier sucker. I use it for testing DNS setups with our hosting platform. But I love it. Maybe some exposure helps to bring some paying customers.
Every once in a while, HN surfaces absolute gems like this. Bookmarked and thanks to esher!
This is awesome. I'll use them as a backup DNS service; the paid version is significantly cheaper than spinning up a new domain server with the cheapest provider I know.<p>Not to downplay my own skills, but their OpenBSD infrastructure is a good idea. They'll be up when my DNS servers are down.
One of the 5,000+ premium members. I've been using them as a secondary and for dynamic dns since... I have no idea for how long but much further back than 2015 when I started using a password manager that keeps history, probably circa 2005.
> Members: 7,161,633
> Premium: 5,594
> Records: 13,834,581
> Zones: 1,276,010<p>That’s pretty cool.
Johsh is a great sysadmin.
If you're having trouble connecting, turn off your proxy/VPN.
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Site has been hugged to death.<p>Free services are never free. It is only free because someone else is paying.<p>I don’t use this but “hoping” that someone else will donate is not sustainable for them and unrealistic in the long term.<p>Maybe they should start charging.
> <i>Free services are never free. It is only free because someone else is paying.</i><p>That’s what “free” means. Otherwise, nothing is “free” except maybe sunlight.
Well, they've been around for 14 years. And they do charge for some services.