.DEV domains are coming – here’s how to get yours

dot-dev-domains

So in case you missed the memo, Google is the proud owner of a new domain extension – .DEV. The new TLD comes out in January and many are expecting it to provide some pretty serious competition for .IO which has been without a doubt the most popular domain extension in the dev community next to .COM.

So what’s the big deal with .DEV? Here’s the skinny directly from Google:

“.dev is a secure domain for developers and technology. From tools to platforms, programming languages to blogs, .dev is a home for all the interesting things that you build.” (Source – Get.dev)

As many of you know, next to .COM, .IO has been a favorite of mine, and while I do like .DEV, I personally think that two character extensions are pretty darn neat, and .IO has a really solid base of dev-centric startups that have built amazing companies while branding around the extension.

That being said, I try to be realistic (when possible) and I do think that .DEV will chip away at .IO and will likely become a popular choice for developers.

So how can you get your hands on a .DEV domain?

There are two ways:

  1. If you have a trademark, you can register the corresponding .DEV domain during their sunrise period which kicks off on January 16th 2019
  2. Starting Feb 19th 2019 you’ll be able to register .DEV domains earlier, but at a higher price
  3. On Feb 28th .DEV goes into General Availability which means that anyone can buy one

What I always try to remind people when new domain extensions come out is that the very best names get scooped up before GA (General Availability). So if you want to get a killer .DEV domain you’ll likely need to be a Trademark holder or pony up for your top choice domains prior to GA on the 28th.

Will I be buying .DEV domains?

There’s a good chance I’ll buy 5 – 10 domains but I’m not setting my expectations high. I’m happy to spend $1k – $2k on names prior to GA if I can get them, and then I’ll buy a couple more that nobody got to on the 28th. My expectation is that I will never develop or sell them and they’ll end up being a big waste of money, but I’m willing to roll the dice.

As I’ve said time and time again, the only true investment-grade extension that’s ever worked for me is .COM, so when it comes to investing, that’s where I’m putting my focus. That being said, I think .DEV has potential to be a pretty popular extension so I’m happy to have a little skin in the game if it takes off.

But that’s me. Now I want to hear from you. Do you plan on buying any .DEV domains? I want to hear from you, comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton