Domains Command

The buddy domains command provides comprehensive domain management capabilities, including purchasing, adding, and removing domains from your cloud infrastructure.

Basic Usage

# Purchase a new domain
buddy domains:purchase example.com

# Add an existing domain
buddy domains:add example.com

# Remove a domain
buddy domains:remove example.com

Command Syntax

buddy domains:purchase <domain> [options]
buddy domains:add <domain> [options]
buddy domains:remove <domain> [options]

Available Commands

Purchase Domain

Purchase a new domain through AWS Route 53:

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com

Add Domain

Add an existing domain (owned through another registrar):

buddy domains:add myapp.com

Remove Domain

Remove a domain from your cloud:

buddy domains:remove myapp.com

Purchase Options

Registrant Information

Admin Contact (Optional)

Tech Contact (Optional)

Examples

Purchase Domain with Defaults

Using contact info from config/dns.ts:

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com

Purchase with Custom Contact

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com \
  --first-name "John" \
  --last-name "Doe" \
  --email "john@example.com" \
  --phone "+1.5551234567" \
  --address-line1 "123 Main St" \
  --city "San Francisco" \
  --state "CA" \
  --country "US" \
  --zip "94102"

Purchase for Multiple Years

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com --years 3

Add Existing Domain

buddy domains:add myexistingdomain.com

Remove Domain

buddy domains:remove myapp.com

Skip Confirmation

buddy domains:remove myapp.com --yes

Configuration

Configure default contact information in config/dns.ts:

export default {
  contactInfo: {
    firstName: 'John',
    lastName: 'Doe',
    email: 'john@example.com',
    phoneNumber: '+1.5551234567',
    addressLine1: '123 Main St',
    city: 'San Francisco',
    state: 'CA',
    countryCode: 'US',
    zip: '94102',
    organizationName: 'My Company',

    // Optional: separate admin contact
    admin: {
      firstName: 'Jane',
      lastName: 'Admin',
      email: 'admin@example.com',
    },

    // Optional: separate tech contact
    tech: {
      firstName: 'Tech',
      lastName: 'Support',
      email: 'tech@example.com',
    },

    // Privacy settings
    privacy: true,
    privacyAdmin: true,
    privacyTech: true,
    privacyRegistrant: true,
  },
}

Domain Workflow

New Project Setup

# 1. Purchase domain
buddy domains:purchase myapp.com

# 2. Update APP_URL when prompted
# 3. Deploy application
buddy deploy

# 4. Verify DNS
buddy dns myapp.com

Adding Existing Domain

# 1. Add domain to cloud
buddy domains:add myapp.com

# 2. Update nameservers at registrar
# (Stacks will provide the nameservers)

# 3. Wait for propagation
buddy dns myapp.com --nameserver 8.8.8.8

# 4. Deploy
buddy deploy

Post-Purchase Actions

After purchasing, you may be prompted to:

1. Verify email - Check your inbox for verification
2. Set APP_URL - Update your environment configuration
3. Deploy - Deploy your application to the new domain

Troubleshooting

Domain Already Registered

Error: Domain is not available

Solutions:

1. Check domain availability on registrar websites
2. Try alternative domain names
3. Use domains:add for existing domains

Email Verification Required

Warning: Please verify your email address

Solution: Check your email for a verification link from AWS/registrar.

DNS Propagation

Warning: DNS changes may take 24-48 hours

Solution: Use specific nameservers to check propagation:

buddy dns myapp.com --nameserver 8.8.8.8

Invalid Contact Information

Error: Invalid contact information

Solution: Ensure all required fields are provided and valid:

• Phone numbers in international format: +1.5551234567
• Valid country codes (2-letter ISO)
• Valid email addresses

Permission Denied

Error: Access denied

Solution: Check AWS credentials and permissions in .env.production.

Domain Pricing

Domain prices vary by TLD (Top-Level Domain):

Prices are determined by AWS Route 53 at time of purchase.

Best Practices

Use Privacy Protection

Always enable privacy protection:

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com --privacy

Enable Auto-Renewal

Prevent accidental expiration:

buddy domains:purchase myapp.com --auto-renew

Verify Contact Information

Ensure contact info is accurate for:

• ICANN compliance
• Domain transfer verification
• Important notifications

Document DNS Changes

Keep records of DNS configurations:

# Export current records
buddy dns myapp.com --type ANY > dns-backup.txt

Related Commands

• buddy dns - DNS queries
• buddy deploy - Deploy application
• buddy cloud - Cloud management