If you are reading this page, we probably sent you an automated email as we expect you to transfer your domain name from another provider or host to Hosting Ireland. It is important to take the time to understand the information here.
This page will explain some common ideas and terms, explain why we want you to move your domain name, outline the benefits and risks, and explain what to expect during the process.
Understanding the Terms
Domain Name
A domain name is a piece of text that you use as the “address” of your website. The domain name is provided and owned by a registry such as IEDR – the .ie domain registry. You pay for the use of the domain name every year (the registry or registration fee). The domain name on its own does not hold any information about your website or your emails – it is only a string of letters that is managed and by the registry.
Registrar
A registrar is a company that “sells” domain names (technically you never own your domain name – consider it like rent). Blacknight and Hosting Ireland are two well known registrars in Ireland. Some domain names are provided by resellers, such as website developers.
IP Address
Your actual website is separate to your domain name. It is hosted on a server in in the “cloud” somewhere. All websites have an IP address which is a list of numbers and sometimes letters that identify the location of your website. It looks like 23.227.38.65. This IP address is hard to remember and often websites share the same IP address – the one above for example is the IP address of every Shopify website in the world. This means that using the IP address of your website on your business cards is not practical!
DNS - Domain Name System
To connect domain names and IP addresses there is a technology called DNS. DNS is the phonebook of the internet. When someone types www.yourwebsite.com in their browser their computer looks up a DNS records in a DNS database to find the IP address of that website. So, when you browse to silentsalesman.ie your computer looks up DNS and sees that the IP address of this website is 23.227.38.65 (this is a Shopify website!). It then “calls” 23.227.38.65. Now if every Shopify website is on the same IP address, then how do you get the right one. Well, that’s simple – your computer goes to the IP address and asks for the website for the website associated with the domain name.
Why Have We Asked You to Transfer Your Domain Name?
Usually because your domain name is registered or managed by a company, we don’t want to deal with such as cheap reseller, a US based company with poor support, or your old web developer. We want you to be registered with a local Irish registrar that we know and trust and that answers the phone in an emergency.
How Does Transferring Your Domain Name Work?
We mentioned the registry. They are the people that control domain names like the IEDR. For every domain name they have a record of the registrar. When we transfer a domain name all we are doing in simple terms is changing the registrar of record from your existing provider to Hosting Ireland.
When you transfer a domain name you will usually be asked to pay for 12 months. This extends the expiry date of your domain by 12 months. In other words if you have 11 months left with your existing provider you will have 23 months (11 + 12) with your new provider before you have to pay again.
In theory changing registrar does not change the DNS database or your website location (IP address), however in practice sometimes moving a domain name also involves changing DNS records – sometimes intentionally and sometimes as an unintended consequence. Your DNS records are also used for email and other services, so we always take a back-up just in case. There are risks however and approximately one in every 20 times we do this a client has no email for a few hours or something else goes wrong. It is not always within our control, but it is always fixable.
What Is Involved?
In general terms the following happens.
You or we request a “transfer code” also known as an AuthCode or EPP code for your old registrar. You will also need to ensure your domain name is unlocked. We can often help with this, or your old registrar or developer sometimes will.
You or we will create a new account with Hosting Ireland (or if you prefer you can use another trusted Irish provider). We will start a transfer process with the new registrar. If the code is correct and the domain is correctly unlocked, then usually this takes 1 – 5 days. You may get an email asking you to approve the transfer or to release it faster – feel free to forward this to us if you are unsure.
We will make changes to the DNS database when required to cause your domain name to point to your new website. We may also create or modify other DNS records relating to email, email marketing, analytics, and more.
Who Owns My Domain Name?
If we register or transfer your domain name then your name, address, phone, and email will be on record as the “owner”. Your credit card details will be registered to pay for the domain, and if you call the registrar, they will always follow your directions.
We will add our details to the registrar account as the technical contact so that we can raise queries and ask for support for your domain. You can remove us at any time or add another technical contact if ever required.
What to Do Next?
Please provide us with your transfer code and make sure your domain name is unlocked. If you don’t know how to do this then just drop us an email and we will work, it out with you.
