Domain names seem expensive in comparison. The cheaper VPS that I use for playing around is just $10.29/year.
I thought I’d get a domain name from RackNerd as well, but they’re $24.95/year + I think $4.99 for privacy.
I’ve checked Namecheap, and that seemed great, until I found that renewal prices are often through the roof.
I don’t really care about it being nice. For now, mostly I just want to use the VPS as image host for Lemmy, since Imgur and Catbox are both a bit problematic.
And without a domain name, the images only show as link posts in the default LemmyUI (though it seems to work elsewhere). Plus it makes migration impossible.
Beyond just the registrar you pick, try not to pick some vanity TLDs. The ubiquitous ones (e.g. .com and .net) are fine. For example .xyz has a bad reputation (due to its initial low price to register, it became used for many spammers) and might be blocked in unexpected places. Others might lure you in with a cheap first year but charge much higher for subsequent years.
In addition to that, ccTLDs (country code) can be a wildcard, especially if you don’t live in the region served by it. Although rare, the country registry can seize your domain. Most commonly though, many, including .us, do not allow you to mask your personal information (WHOIS privacy). I’ve had a .me for a long time and even though they haven’t been much of a problem, they are also raising the price for renewal faster than an equivalent .com, and so I’ve been thinking of letting that domain go.
If you trust your country’s ccTLD registry and they’re reputable, that’s less of an issue, however.
Is there a reason to be concerned about the blocking anywhere besides email? I can’t think of any, but I might not be thinking of some usecases
I’ve read that if you or your family depend on some kind of firewall provided by a company (and removing or disabling it is not allowed), then that firewall might outright refuse to connect to such a domain, even if the domain was never used. (Basically outright blocking .xyz at the root.) It’s not applicable in most cases but it is definitely a case of overzealous “protection” software. It’s just an unpredictable outcome and a risk. If you don’t plan on hosting email and don’t use a firewall like that, then it would be marginally acceptable.
I would still strongly recommend a .com or .net. The only advantage of using lesser known (or of low reputation) TLD is that more domains will not have been taken. I’d rather just try to be creative or pick something longer with .com.