Slashdot Mirror
GoDaddy Proposes New DNS Configuration Standard (programmableweb.com)
GoDaddy has announced "an open set of APIs for DNS providers and web service providers," called Domain Connect. An anonymous Slashdot reader writes:
"Once enabled, customers can quickly configure their domain to point to the web service of their choice with push button simplicity," according to the announcement, "streamlining and simplifying the process of connecting websites and domain names registered on different platforms." GoDaddy's submitted it for consideration as an IETF standard, where they have the support of Microsoft and Squarespace, as well as the other two largest registries, eNome and Name.com. But in the meantime, they told ProgrammableWeb, the specificaion is "out there in the public, open for feedback and adjustment."
"GoDaddy is seeking to take all the friction out of the process," the site reports, "by offering service providers like Squarepace, Wix, Google, Microsoft, Wordpress and others a registrar-agnostic API that they can use to programmatically configure all the necessary DNS entries... in lieu of making end users laboriously crawl through a bunch of forms and then praying that they've done it all correctly." Different access levels will be available based on the service being provided, and for GoDaddy's implementation of the API their senior VP of Domains Engineering "said that the program will not be open to public developers and that any service providers wanting access will have to be approved by his team at GoDaddy."
"GoDaddy is seeking to take all the friction out of the process," the site reports, "by offering service providers like Squarepace, Wix, Google, Microsoft, Wordpress and others a registrar-agnostic API that they can use to programmatically configure all the necessary DNS entries... in lieu of making end users laboriously crawl through a bunch of forms and then praying that they've done it all correctly." Different access levels will be available based on the service being provided, and for GoDaddy's implementation of the API their senior VP of Domains Engineering "said that the program will not be open to public developers and that any service providers wanting access will have to be approved by his team at GoDaddy."
"Mod me that insightful please."
They seized domains of their customers on the slightest of claims, e.g. unverified "this domain spammed me" claims, GoDaddy cancels domain under their usage policy.... sells on to mysterious customers who hide behind "DomainsByProxy" (i.e. GoDaddy subsidiary), when they've been investigated.... they find the domain is held by mysterious companies such as "Standard Tactics LLC" (i.e. other GoDaddy companies)....
But hey the mysterious new owner is prepared to sell you it back for $$$$ (3 or 4 figure numbers) if you act now!
Perhaps they're clean now, but go try their website with a test domain before using them on a real domain. Even searching on a domain name can get it speculatively registered by a 'mysterious' customer hidden behind DomainsByProxy who happen to register it through GoDaddy.... so use a test domain name, register it for $0.99 as promised in their ads and see how much you end up paying in the long run for dealing with those .
Or take the advice of people who've dealt with them. It is not worth the risk, go use a proper registrar like Tucows, or a proper DNS+Registrar package like EasyDns.com NEVER GoDaddy. NEVER EVER GoDaddy.