Interesting domains we found this week

1. Why we are obsessed with domains

Browsing domain registrars is our version of window shopping. Other people scroll real estate listings or car configurators. We type words into Porkbun's search bar and see what TLDs are available.

This is not entirely rational behavior. We own more domains than we have projects. We have bought domains at 2 AM that made no sense by morning. We have domains that have been pointing at nothing for over a year. But the habit persists because every once in a while, a domain name suggests an entire product. The name is the idea.

slang.fyi started as a domain purchase. We were not thinking about building a slang dictionary. We saw the name, thought "that is exactly what that should be," and bought it. The project came later. The domain came first.

protocols.page was the same story. The name describes the product so perfectly that the product designed itself. A page about protocols. What else would it be?

This week, we went on another browsing session. Here is what we found, what we thought, and what we learned about the current state of the domain market.

2. This week's finds

Every domain below is one we actually looked up during a single browsing session. Some are registered (taken by someone else). Some are available. We have included our reaction and what we think the domain suggests.

Tools and utilities

• contrast.tools: A color contrast checker. Enter two colors, see the WCAG ratio. The .tools TLD makes the purpose immediately clear. Available at time of writing.
• typeface.page: A font preview tool. Paste your text, see it in different typefaces. The .page TLD implies a single, focused resource. Clean and descriptive.
• headers.fyi: An HTTP headers reference. Enter a URL, see the response headers with explanations. The .fyi TLD signals informational content. We almost bought this one.
• cron.tools: A cron expression builder and tester. Cron syntax is hard to remember. A clean tool with examples would get heavy use from developers.
• regex.page: A regex tester and reference. regex101.com exists and is excellent, but the domain regex.page is shorter and more memorable. Taken, unfortunately.

References and knowledge

• airports.fyi: A reference for airport codes worldwide. Which airport is CDG? What is the code for Osaka? Simple reference, clear domain. Available.
• units.page: A unit conversion reference. Not a converter tool (those exist everywhere), but a reference explaining what units mean, where they come from, and how they relate. Educational rather than functional.
• shortcuts.fyi: Keyboard shortcuts for popular applications. Searchable, organized by app. The kind of reference you bookmark and use weekly.
• acronyms.fyi: What does CORS stand for? What about WASM? TOML? A clean acronym lookup for technical terms. Urban Dictionary covers slang acronyms. This would cover professional ones.
• formats.page: A reference for file formats. What is the difference between PNG and WebP? When should you use JSON vs YAML? Technical format comparisons with clear recommendations.

Creative and experimental

• palette.cool: A color palette generator. The .cool TLD is playful and fits a creative tool. Not every TLD needs to be serious.
• placeholder.page: A placeholder content generator. Lorem ipsum, but also placeholder images, names, addresses, and data. A developer utility with personality.
• doodle.zone: A collaborative drawing canvas. The .zone TLD implies a space you enter, which fits a shared creative environment. Fun domain.
• noise.page: A background noise generator. Rain, coffee shop, forest, white noise. Browser-based, no app required. Simple idea, clear domain.
• decisions.fyi: A decision-making tool. Enter your options, weight the criteria, get a recommendation. The kind of tool you use twice a year but are grateful for when you need it.

The weird and wonderful

• 404.page: A gallery of creative 404 error pages from across the internet. This domain is perfect for this purpose and nothing else. Taken.
• useless.tools: A collection of beautifully built but completely unnecessary web tools. A clock that only shows the time in Roman numerals. A calculator that only works in base 7. The domain sets the tone perfectly.
• today.fyi: What happened today in history? A daily fact page. One fact, well-presented, with a source. No infinite scroll. No "10 things you did not know." Just one thing.
• rabbitholes.fyi: A curated collection of internet rabbit holes. Topics that will consume your afternoon: obscure Wikipedia articles, niche YouTube channels, strange forums. A guided tour of the internet's back rooms.

3. The TLD landscape in 2026

The domain market has changed significantly in the past few years. The old assumption that you need a .com is fading. Here is what we are seeing.

New TLDs are mainstream

.fyi, .page, .tools, .zone, .day, .app, .dev, .io. These TLDs were novelties five years ago. Today, they are standard. Users do not hesitate to visit a .fyi or .page domain. The stigma of "not having a .com" is largely gone, especially for tools and references where the TLD adds meaning.

Pricing varies wildly

A .com costs $10/year. A .fyi costs $15 to $20. A .page is $12. A .cool is $25. A .zone is $20. But some newer or premium TLDs cost $40 to $80 per year, which is hard to justify for a side project that might not survive its first year.

Our rule: do not spend more than $25/year on a domain for a side project. If the TLD costs more than that, either find an alternative TLD or reconsider whether the name is worth the premium.

The best TLDs for small projects

Domain squatting is still a problem

Many of the best short domains are registered by squatters who buy them in bulk and resell at markup. regex.page, 404.page, and dozens of other obvious names are parked on landing pages with "buy this domain" links and asking prices of $2,000 to $50,000.

We never buy from squatters. The prices are inflated, the practice is exploitative, and there are always alternative names that work just as well. If regex.page is taken, regextest.page or regex.tools might be available. Creativity in naming is cheaper than paying a squatter.

4. The domain as a creative prompt

One of the most interesting things about browsing domains is that the process itself generates ideas. You are not searching for a name for an existing idea. You are letting names suggest ideas you have not had yet.

This is backwards from how most people think about domains. The conventional approach: have an idea, find a name. Our approach: browse names, let them spark ideas.

How domain browsing generates ideas

When you type a word into a registrar's search bar, the results show which TLDs are available. Each combination of word + TLD implies a different product:

• contrast + .tools = a contrast checking tool
• contrast + .fyi = a guide about color contrast in design
• contrast + .page = a single-page reference on contrast ratios
• contrast + .zone = a community or gallery of high-contrast designs

Same word, four different products. The TLD does the differentiation. This is genuinely useful as an idea generation technique. You start with a topic you care about and let the available TLDs suggest angles you had not considered.

The "would I visit this?" test

For every domain that catches our attention, we ask: "If this existed as a website, would I visit it? Would I bookmark it? Would I tell someone about it?" If the answer is yes to at least two of these, the domain goes into the ideas file. If the answer is no to all three, we move on.

This test kills about 90% of impulse purchases. A domain that sounds clever in the search bar often fails the "would I visit" test because the product it implies is not actually useful. Clever names are not enough. The implied product has to be something someone would use.

When to buy immediately

We have a short list of conditions under which we buy a domain immediately, without waiting:

1. The name perfectly describes a product we have already been thinking about building.
2. The domain costs less than $20/year (low risk if we never use it).
3. The name is so obvious that someone else will register it soon.

All three conditions must be true. If the name is great but we have no idea what to build, we wait. If the idea is clear but the domain is $50/year, we wait. Patience has saved us hundreds of dollars on domains we would never have used.

5. Try it yourself

Domain browsing is free. Open Porkbun or your registrar of choice. Type a word you care about. See what is available. Let the names suggest products. Write the interesting ones in a note.

Do not buy anything. Not yet. Let the ideas sit for a week. The ones you are still thinking about after seven days are the ones worth pursuing. The rest will fade, and you will be glad you did not spend $15 on a domain for an idea that lasted one evening.

The internet has room for more small, useful, specific websites. Every one of them starts with a name. Maybe yours is already available.

"A good domain does not just name the product. It is the product."