How to Register a .dev Domain in South Africa

Registering a .dev domain takes about five minutes and costs R296.84/yr at Allanux Web — roughly the same as a .com. The one thing that catches people off guard is the mandatory HTTPS requirement, but if you're a developer, you probably have SSL sorted already.

This guide walks through the full process: finding your name, handling the HTTPS setup, understanding the pricing, and getting your .dev domain live and pointing to your project.

Before You Register: The HTTPS Requirement

Every .dev domain is on the HSTS preload list. This means all major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — will refuse to connect to your .dev site over plain HTTP. You need a valid SSL/TLS certificate before your site will load.

This is not optional and there is no workaround. Google enforced this at the registry level when they launched .dev in 2019.

What This Means for You

• If you're hosting with Allanux Web: SSL certificates are provisioned automatically via Let's Encrypt. You don't need to do anything extra.
• If you're hosting elsewhere: Make sure your host supports SSL. Most modern providers include free Let's Encrypt certificates. If yours doesn't, you'll need to install one manually or switch providers.
• If you're running a local dev server: Use localhost (browsers trust it natively) or generate a self-signed certificate for your local domain.

The HTTPS requirement is a feature for production sites — your visitors get encrypted connections automatically. It only becomes a friction point during early prototyping on non-standard setups.

Step-by-Step: Register a .dev Domain at Allanux Web

Step 1: Search for Your Domain

Go to our .dev registration page and type in the name you want. You'll see instantly whether it's available. Short names (3–5 characters) are mostly taken, but descriptive names like yourproject.dev or yourname-portfolio.dev often still are.

Step 2: Choose Your Registration Period

The minimum is one year at R296.84. You can register for up to 10 years if you want to lock in the price. Multi-year registration also prevents accidental expiry — useful for projects you plan to maintain long-term.

Step 3: Configure DNS and Privacy

Set your nameservers (Allanux Web defaults are pre-filled if you're hosting with us), enable WHOIS privacy to keep your personal details off the public registry, and confirm DNS management settings. All included at no extra charge.

Step 4: Pay and Activate

We accept credit card, EFT, and PayFast. Your .dev domain activates immediately after payment — no manual approval or waiting period. You'll receive a confirmation email with your control panel credentials.

Step 5: Install SSL and Point Your Domain

This is the step unique to .dev. Before your site loads in any browser, you need a valid SSL certificate. On Allanux Web hosting, this happens automatically via Let's Encrypt. On other hosts, check your SSL settings before going live. Once SSL is active, update your A/CNAME records and your .dev domain is live.

.dev vs .com: Which Should a Developer Choose?

This is the most common question developers ask when registering a new domain. Here's a direct comparison.

The Practical Answer

If your project is developer-facing — a tool, library, API, portfolio, or documentation site — go with .dev. The name availability is better, the price is nearly identical, and the extension immediately communicates what your project is about.

If your project targets a general audience (a SaaS product for non-technical users, a business website, an e-commerce store), .com is still the safer bet. People outside of tech don't know what .dev means.

Many developers register both: .dev for the project itself and .com as a redirect for users who might guess it. At R600/yr combined, that covers both audiences.