What Is a .dev Domain? A Guide for Developers in South Africa

Everything you need to know about the .dev domain extension — who uses it, why Google created it, and whether it's the right choice for your developer portfolio or tech project.

.dev is a top-level domain created and operated by Google Registry specifically for developers and technology projects. It launched in February 2019 and has since become one of the most recognisable extensions in the tech world.

What makes .dev different from most other TLDs is that it requires HTTPS by default. Every .dev domain is preloaded in the HSTS list, which means browsers will only connect over a secure connection. No configuration needed, no excuses — your site is encrypted from day one.

At Allanux Web, you can register a .dev domain from R296.84/yr. Here's what you need to know about the extension before you decide.

Who Uses .dev Domains?

Individual Developers

Portfolio sites, personal blogs, and side projects. A .dev domain tells anyone who lands on your site exactly what you do. firstname.dev or handle.dev is cleaner than a hyphenated .com or a long .co.za subdomain.

Open-Source Projects

Many open-source tools and frameworks use .dev for their documentation and landing pages. It signals that the project is developer-focused without needing to explain it in the URL.

Developer Tools and SaaS Products

API platforms, CI/CD tools, code editors, testing frameworks — anything built for developers benefits from the instant recognition that .dev provides. It's a shorthand for "this product is for technical people."

Tech Companies

Google itself uses web.dev for developer resources. Other major tech companies use .dev domains for developer portals, documentation hubs, and internal tools. The extension carries credibility in technical circles.

Who Should Probably Skip It

If your audience isn't technical, .dev might cause confusion. A restaurant, law firm, or retail shop would be better served by .co.za (R89/yr) or .com (R299/yr). The extension only adds value when your audience recognises what "dev" means.

The HTTPS Requirement — What It Means in Practice

.dev is one of a small number of TLDs that enforce HTTPS at the browser level. Google added the entire .dev namespace to the HSTS preload list before the extension even launched. This means:

• Every browser that supports HSTS (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) will refuse to load a .dev site over plain HTTP
• You need an SSL/TLS certificate installed on your server before your site will work
• There is no opt-out — this is a registry-level requirement, not a server-level setting

For most developers, this is a feature, not a limitation. SSL certificates are free through Let's Encrypt, and any modern hosting provider (including Allanux Web) provisions them automatically. Your visitors get encrypted connections without you having to remember to configure it.

The only time HTTPS enforcement becomes an issue is if you're trying to run a quick prototype on a local IP without SSL. In that case, use localhost (which browsers trust) or set up a self-signed certificate for development.

.dev Domain Pricing in South Africa

Here's how .dev compares to other developer-friendly extensions at Allanux Web, all prices in ZAR.

.dev sits at almost exactly the same price point as .com — R296.84/yr vs R299/yr for registration. The difference is negligible. What you're paying for is the developer signal and the built-in HTTPS enforcement, not a premium price tag.