Self-hosting deployment story Part 6. A 30-minute decision that lasts a lifetime.
TL;DR
- Comparison of five domain registrars: Gabia, Whois, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare
- Star Whale picks Cloudflare Registrar — cost + DNS + Tunnel + Email in one account
.orgis about $10/year, 30–50% cheaper than Korean registrars- Caveat: 60-day transfer lock after registration; WHOIS privacy protection is free
1. Choosing a Domain Name
It took three days to settle the name. Here is the candidate comparison.
| Candidate | Meaning | Korean SEO | English SEO | Trademark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
byeolgorae.com |
Romanization of Star Whale | Weak | Hard to pronounce “byeolgorae” | None |
starwhale.com |
English translation | Weak | starwhale.ai is already an ML company | ⚠ Conflict |
firewhale.com |
Fire + Whale (intensity of fire + depth) | Weak | firewhale.io app and coin dominate | ⚠ Conflict |
sticknstone.org |
Stick & Stone (an ancient navigator’s stellar tool) | Clean | Clean | None |
→ Prioritizing the metaphor: separate the brand name (Star Whale) from the domain (sticknstone). It reads naturally once explained on the About page — “Stick & Stone is an ancient navigator’s tool that pointed at the stars with small stones and sticks; Star Whale sets out on a deep voyage toward that star.”
2. Comparison of 5 Registrars
flowchart LR
A[Domain Purchase] --> B[Gabia·Whois
Domestic]
A --> C[GoDaddy
International]
A --> D[Namecheap
International]
A --> E[Porkbun
International Startup]
A --> F[Cloudflare
Registrar]
B -. Expensive/Renewal Pressure .-> X[Rejected]
C -. Aggressive Marketing .-> X
D -. Average .-> Y[2nd Place]
E -. Good Price .-> Y
F -. Cost+Integration .-> Z[Selected]
style F fill:#dfd,stroke:#0a0
style Z fill:#dfd,stroke:#0a0
Price comparison for .org domains for 1 year (as of May 2026):
| Registrar | Price | Renewal | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabia | 22,000 KRW | 22,000 KRW | UI is Korean-friendly |
| Whois | 19,000 KRW | 19,000 KRW | Card charge system |
| GoDaddy | $20 → $35 for renewal | Increases annually | Increased marketing push |
| Namecheap | $13 | $15 | WHOIS protection is free |
| Porkbun | $9 | $11 | Startup, stability unknown |
| Cloudflare | $10.44 | $10.44 | Cost (0 resale margin) |
Cloudflare sells domains at cost price. Its revenue source comes from other services (Workers, Stream, Enterprise). For one-person operators like I, the cheapest + renewal cost is stable.
3. Why Choose Cloudflare — Integrated Value
| Feature | Other Registrars | Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|
| DNS Management | Separate service (Route 53, etc.) | Integrated free of charge |
| WHOIS Protection | Typically paid ($10/year) | Free automatic |
| Cloudflare Tunnel | External routing separately | One-click in the same account |
| Email Routing (Receiving) | Separate G Suite ($6/month) | Free unlimited |
| SSL Certificate | Automatic (Let’s Encrypt directly) | Automatic (Cloudflare wildcard) |
| WAF·DDoS·CDN | Separate ($20+) | Automatically applied to the same domain |
Star Whale would ultimately utilize Cloudflare Tunnel + DNS + WAF + (later) Email Routing. If the domain is purchased elsewhere, an additional task of transferring nameservers to Cloudflare is needed. Purchasing from the same place automates that step.
4. Purchase Process — 5 Minutes
dash.cloudflare.com→ Domains → Buy domain- Search
sticknstone→ Select.org - Enter registrant information (name, email, address)
– WHOIS is automatically masked (anonymously likeContact Privacy Inc.) - Card payment ($10.44)
- Immediately activated. Nameserver automatically points to Cloudflare
If purchased from another registrar, changing the nameserver to Cloudflare takes an additional step (24-48 hours for propagation). Purchasing from Cloudflare negates that time.
5. Caveats
Caveat 1. 60-day Transfer Lock
For 60 days after domain registration, transfer to another registrar is not permitted (ICANN rule). If there’s no immediate need to transfer it to somewhere other than Cloudflare, it’s irrelevant.
Caveat 2. WHOIS Privacy
Domain registrant information is usually public. Name, email, address, and phone are registered on the WHOIS DB. Cloudflare automatically masks this (other registrars charge around $5-$10/year for this option). Email is displayed as an anonymous address like [email protected].
Caveat 3. Changing Payment Card
Automatic renewal fails if the card expires/changes → domain expiration → 30-day grace period → Recovery. Anyone can take it back. Updating Cloudflare payment information is essential when changing the card.
Caveat 4. Domain Price Fluctuation
While Cloudflare’s pricing has little variability due to cost price, new TLDs (.io, .dev, .app) increase slightly each year. .org, .com, and .net remain stable.
Caveat 5. If the Site Goes Down?
Even if the mini-PC fails or cloudflared terminates, the domain itself remains owned by I. The DNS records remain alive in the Cloudflare dashboard. If the mini-PC is restored, it will function again.
FAQ
Q. Is .org better? What about .com?
.com is the most common, but good names are mostly taken. .org feels natural for non-profits and personal notes. There is almost no SEO difference (per Google’s official statement).
Q. What about Korean domains (별고래.한국)?
Possible. However, it is difficult for foreigners to input + some compatibility issues with certain tools + lacks trust. A combination of English domain and Korean content is standard.
Q. What about bundled products (Gabia HostingNW, etc.)?
For one-person self-hosting mini-PC, it’s irrelevant. Hosting in bundled products usually means shared hosting (sharing the server with others). Less control.
Q. How does Cloudflare Email Routing work?
[email protected] → Cloudflare receives → forwards to my personal email ([email protected]). Free unlimited. Separate SMTP is needed for sending (Resend·Mailgun free tier).
Q. Can I trust domain valuation sites (Estibot, etc.)?
For a one-person operation, it’s irrelevant. The use value of a domain (is it good for me?) is more crucial than market value (who would buy it).
Next Episode Preview
Part 7 — It’s Complicated: Naming the Site. Three days’ worth of contemplation and decisions on the English subtitle after changing “Jam Jam’s Voyage Diary” to “Star Whale.”
One-Line Summary
Purchasing a domain is a lifelong decision. Cloudflare Registrar = cost price + DNS + Tunnel + Email + WHOIS protection integrated in one account. .org costs $10.44 per year. Half the price compared to Gabia.
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