What Is a .dev Domain: HTTPS Requirement, Prices and Common Uses
A .dev domain is a web address that ends in .dev, such as go.dev or web.dev. This guide explains what a .dev domain is in practice: who runs the .dev TLD, why browsers only load .dev sites over HTTPS, who tends to use it, and what it costs to register one. Registrar prices are from our pricing data as of October 26, 2026.
What is a .dev domain
.dev is a generic top-level domain (gTLD), the same category as .com and .app. It is not tied to a country. Google Registry operates it, and you register names through accredited registrars such as Namecheap, NameSilo or Name.com.
Registration opened to the public in February 2019. An early access period, where names cost a one-time extra fee that dropped each day, started on February 19, and general availability began on February 28. Anyone can register a .dev domain. There is no requirement to be a developer or to use the site for software.
The .dev TLD only works over HTTPS
HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a rule that tells a browser to connect to a site only over HTTPS. A site normally turns it on by sending a header. Browsers also ship with a built-in HSTS preload list, so the rule applies even on the very first visit.
Google added the entire .dev TLD to that preload list. Every .dev domain, including all of its subdomains, is HTTPS-only in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. When someone types http://yourname.dev, the browser switches to https:// before sending the request. If the server has no valid TLS certificate, the browser shows a security error and gives the visitor no option to continue to the site.
Google Registry's .app and .page TLDs are preloaded the same way.
This also explains why .dev stopped working as a local hostname. Before .dev was a public TLD, some developers pointed names like myproject.dev at their own machine. When Chrome 63 began enforcing the preload in December 2017, those local setups broke. The .test and .localhost names are reserved for local use and are the usual replacement.
What HTTPS-only means when you launch a .dev site
You need a valid TLS certificate before a .dev site will load. On most modern hosting this happens without extra work:
- Hosting platforms. Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages and GitHub Pages issue certificates for custom domains automatically once your DNS points to them.
- Your own server. Let's Encrypt certificates are free. Certbot can request and renew them for Nginx or Apache, and the Caddy web server enables HTTPS by default.
- Subdomains. The preload covers every subdomain, so
docs.yourname.devandapi.yourname.deveach need a certificate. A wildcard certificate covers them all, and Let's Encrypt issues those through a DNS challenge. - Redirect-only domains. If you buy a .dev name only to redirect it to another site, the server doing the redirect still has to answer over HTTPS. Check that your registrar's URL forwarding supports HTTPS before relying on it.
- Email. HSTS applies to browsers only. MX records and email on a .dev domain work the same as on any other TLD.
Who uses .dev domains
The .dev TLD is most common for sites aimed at software developers:
- Languages and frameworks. The Go project runs go.dev, React's documentation lives at react.dev, and Flutter uses flutter.dev.
- Developer guidance. Google publishes web platform guides on web.dev.
- Hosting platforms. Cloudflare gives Workers and Pages projects subdomains on workers.dev and pages.dev.
- Docs, tools and portfolios. Smaller projects use .dev for API documentation, CLI tools and open source libraries. Many developers also register their name on .dev for a portfolio or blog.
.dev compared with .app and .io
.dev and .app are both run by Google Registry and both require HTTPS. .dev reads as a developer-focused extension, and .app is often used for products aimed at a broader audience. .io is a country code TLD with no HTTPS requirement and higher prices. Our comparison of .dev vs .app vs .io covers how each one is perceived and when to pick it. If .com is also on your list, see .io vs .com for startups.
.dev domain prices by registrar
Standard .dev prices from the registrars we track, as of October 26, 2026:
| Registrar | First year | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | $10.98 | $20.98 |
| NameSilo | $10.99 | $14.99 |
| Name.com | $14.99 | $22.99 |
The first-year prices are close, but renewals differ by up to $8 a year. Over three years, a .dev domain costs $40.97 at NameSilo, $52.94 at Namecheap and $60.97 at Name.com. Some .dev names are premium and priced above these rates by the registry.
See the live .dev price comparison for current registration, renewal and transfer prices. For how .dev fits among other extensions, read how much domains cost.
Finding an available .dev name
The .dev domains page shows sample .dev names that were available at our last check. The full domain list lets you filter every available name by TLD, length and keyword, with access for a one-time $79 payment. To confirm a single name before you buy it, our guide on how to check domain availability walks through the options.