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Why any startup would use GoDaddy for DNS is baffling. Route 53 is amazing. However, must confess we currently use GoDaddy for domains (switching) and SSL certi

Why any startup would use GoDaddy for DNS is baffling. Route 53 is amazing. However, must confess we currently use GoDaddy for domains (switching) and SSL certificates. Can anybody recommend some good alternatives for SSL certs that are about the same cost as GoDaddy?

jf 15y ago
Looks like the YC startups that aren't using GoDaddy are using GeoTrust or DigiCert: http://jpf.github.com/domain-profiler/ycombinator.html http://jpf.github.com/domain-profiler/ycombinator.html
- nodesocket 15y ago
  Thanks. Though GoDaddy SSL certs were purchased for $12.99 (coupon), competition seems to be over $100.
  - jf 15y ago
    Understood. You do seem to get what you pay for though. If I remember correctly: GoDaddy's root certificate isn't as widely distributed as their competitors are, also their certs are chained certs.
saurik 15y ago
Get SSL certificates from Servertastic. They are a RapidSSL reseller, whom in turn sell rebranded GeoTrust certificates. The result is that you get "the same thing" (by the end of the payment process you are filling out forms being served by GeoTrust's servers) for $13.95/yr.
dangrossman 15y ago
I buy mine through SoftLayer for $35 per 2 years. http://www.softlayer.com/services/securitylayer/ http://www.softlayer.com/services/securitylayer/ I get my servers through them already so it's convenient, and I don't have to hunt down coupons to get a decent price.
moonlighter 15y ago
SSL Certs: I got all my SSL certs from http://www.startssl.com/ http://www.startssl.com/ They offer FREE SSL certs (just requires a simple email verification). Name-verified SSL certs cost $59 for 2 years, EV certs go for $199 for 2 years. I'm very happy with their service. DNS: Like you, I switched to Amazon Route 53. Now that it's available in the Web Management Console, it's a no-brainer, especially if you use other AWS services. Registrar: I finally got my ass in motion and just bulk-moved all my domains to Namecheap. I wanted to do that for quite a while, and their SOPA support was the final nail in the coffin.
- dangrossman 15y ago
  My only problem with Route 53 is the cost. Just about any web host offers their own DNS servers as a free service. I can fully manage zone records at SoftLayer or Linode with unlimited queries at no extra cost. 10 million monthly queries on 20 domains would cost me $15/month at Amazon. It'd only be $5 per month at DNSMadeEasy, a company with a far longer record of reliable DNS service than Amazon.
  - burgerbrain 15y ago
    The advantage with Route 53 is really when you are already using AWS stuff. At that point sure it costs a bit more (but still less than the amount of change that I lose in my sofa in the same period of time), but it's the same place as everything else. Same bill and stuff.
    - moonlighter 15y ago
      Exactly. Using just AWS Route 53 'standalone' probably doesn't make much sense, but when used in combination with EC2 and their Elastic Load Balancer it starts to make a lot of sense. And the fact that you can use their APIs to make programmatic changes (say quickly change a A or CNAME record to point elsewhere) is fantastic.
biot 15y ago
More generally, using DNS service from your domain registrar is risky. Should your registrar have an outage that impacts your DNS, you run the risk of being both without DNS service and without the ability to switch DNS servers or registrars.
sandGorgon 15y ago
$8 Comodo SSL certificates - again from Namecheap http://www.namecheap.com/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx http://www.namecheap.com/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx I have had my SSL application rejected by StartSSL for some reason - probably because I was not in the continental US

jf 15y ago

Looks like the YC startups that aren't using GoDaddy are using GeoTrust or DigiCert: http://jpf.github.com/domain-profiler/ycombinator.html http://jpf.github.com/domain-profiler/ycombinator.html

nodesocket 15y ago
Thanks. Though GoDaddy SSL certs were purchased for $12.99 (coupon), competition seems to be over $100.
- jf 15y ago
  Understood. You do seem to get what you pay for though. If I remember correctly: GoDaddy's root certificate isn't as widely distributed as their competitors are, also their certs are chained certs.

saurik 15y ago

Get SSL certificates from Servertastic. They are a RapidSSL reseller, whom in turn sell rebranded GeoTrust certificates. The result is that you get "the same thing" (by the end of the payment process you are filling out forms being served by GeoTrust's servers) for $13.95/yr.

dangrossman 15y ago

I buy mine through SoftLayer for $35 per 2 years. http://www.softlayer.com/services/securitylayer/ http://www.softlayer.com/services/securitylayer/ I get my servers through them already so it's convenient, and I don't have to hunt down coupons to get a decent price.

moonlighter 15y ago

SSL Certs: I got all my SSL certs from http://www.startssl.com/ http://www.startssl.com/ They offer FREE SSL certs (just requires a simple email verification). Name-verified SSL certs cost $59 for 2 years, EV certs go for $199 for 2 years. I'm very happy with their service. DNS: Like you, I switched to Amazon Route 53. Now that it's available in the Web Management Console, it's a no-brainer, especially if you use other AWS services. Registrar: I finally got my ass in motion and just bulk-moved all my domains to Namecheap. I wanted to do that for quite a while, and their SOPA support was the final nail in the coffin.

dangrossman 15y ago
My only problem with Route 53 is the cost. Just about any web host offers their own DNS servers as a free service. I can fully manage zone records at SoftLayer or Linode with unlimited queries at no extra cost. 10 million monthly queries on 20 domains would cost me $15/month at Amazon. It'd only be $5 per month at DNSMadeEasy, a company with a far longer record of reliable DNS service than Amazon.
- burgerbrain 15y ago
  The advantage with Route 53 is really when you are already using AWS stuff. At that point sure it costs a bit more (but still less than the amount of change that I lose in my sofa in the same period of time), but it's the same place as everything else. Same bill and stuff.
  - moonlighter 15y ago
    Exactly. Using just AWS Route 53 'standalone' probably doesn't make much sense, but when used in combination with EC2 and their Elastic Load Balancer it starts to make a lot of sense. And the fact that you can use their APIs to make programmatic changes (say quickly change a A or CNAME record to point elsewhere) is fantastic.

biot 15y ago

More generally, using DNS service from your domain registrar is risky. Should your registrar have an outage that impacts your DNS, you run the risk of being both without DNS service and without the ability to switch DNS servers or registrars.

sandGorgon 15y ago

$8 Comodo SSL certificates - again from Namecheap http://www.namecheap.com/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx http://www.namecheap.com/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx I have had my SSL application rejected by StartSSL for some reason - probably because I was not in the continental US