Pierre-Olivier Mercier
7e86d6f369
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4.2 KiB
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93 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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date: 2025-06-15T11:44:00+02:00
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title: Quickstart
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author: nemunaire
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weight: 1
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---
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happyDomain is a service that centralizes the management of your domain names from different registrars, hosts or authoritative DNS servers.
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It's a web interface and a REST API that offer a simpler domain experience than most of the interfaces we usually see for managing domains, including features we'd expect to see in 2025.
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At happyDomain, we want to make sure that domain names and DNS are no longer a daunting experience, but instead give you all the tools you need to understand and make changes in peace.
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Can't wait to get started? Follow the guide!
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## 1. Online or on premise
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happyDomain is free (as in free speech) software.
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This means, among other things, that you can install it at home.
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If you're familiar with Docker, you can follow the [dedicated installation guide]({{% relref "../deploy/docker" %}}).
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If you're not familiar with the command line, or if you'd like to evaluate the software quickly, we recommend that you create an account on our online service.
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Go to : <https://app.happydomain.org/join>
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## 2. Add a domain to manage
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happyDomain will connect to your hosting provider (or local authoritative server).
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Your domain remains hosted where it is today; using happyDomain does not imply any transfer or change of ownership.
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{{% notice style="info" title="I don't have a domain name yet" icon="question" %}}
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We don't sell domain names, you must already have one [with a supported hosting provider](https://app.happydomain.org/providers/features).
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{{% /notice %}}
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When you log on to happyDomain for the first time, a wizard will guide you through the process of linking your first domain.
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Depending on your hosting provider, the procedure will differ.
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But for most, you'll need to go to your host's customer account, and request an API key.
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For OVH, the procedure is simplified, as all you have to do is follow the instructions and authorize happyDomain to access the domain-related part of your account.
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If you have your own authoritative server, you'll need to get the keys to interact with it either from the administrator or by looking in the configuration.
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Once the connection between happyDomain and your first host or server has been established, all you have to do is select the domains you want happyDomain to manage.
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## 3. Consult the DNS zone
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The DNS zone refers to the technical content of your domain.
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To view the zone corresponding to a domain, click on the domain name that appears on the happyDomain home page.
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After a few seconds of fully automatic import and analysis, you'll immediately see a list of registrations or services as they are currently distributed to your visitors.
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{{% notice style="primary" title="About the “services”" %}}
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The complexity of DNS stems in part from the mismatch between purely technical constraints and the actual use of records.
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happyDomain tries to simplify this by grouping technical records under their concrete uses. This is what we call “service”.
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{{% /notice %}}
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## 4. Modify a record
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In the zone display screen, click on a record to view its details.
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Each DNS record has particular characteristics and constraints.
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Context-sensitive help tries as far as possible to give you the essential information to guide you through the modifications you need to make.
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When you make a modification to a record, it is not directly published to your host or server.
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## 5. Distribute your changes
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Once you've made all the changes you need, click on the “Distribute my changes” button.
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A dialog box will appear showing you the exact changes that will be applied to your host.
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At this point, there's still time to select the changes you don't want/no longer want to be applied.
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Before validating the window, you can add a message that will be recorded in the log, enabling you to quickly recall the reason for the change.
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After all, one of the advantages of happyDomain is that you can easily go back and undo a change if you see a mistake.
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[History is the subject of a dedicated help page.]({{% relref "../../pages/domain-history" %}})
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---
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So now you know how to use happyDomain's main features.
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If you encounter any problems or have any ideas for improvement, [please let us know](https://github.com/happyDomain/happyDomain/issues/new).
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