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What programming language is useful for a domainer?


Sammy Jakes

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I have some free time now and I would like to learn coding.
I would like to know what programming language is useful for a domainer and what specific domaining problem can I solve with it?
Thanks
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
I am currently building new landing pages and I'm only using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

I would definitely have advantages using PHP, but as my portfolio is rather limited, it's ok for now...
 
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I am currently building new landing pages and I'm only using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

I would definitely have advantages using PHP, but as my portfolio is rather limited, it's ok for now...

Indeed. I would say those are the 3 that would be most useful for domainers to learn. They are not that difficult and you can learn them fairly quickly. It's when you get into server-side languages when things get complicated. Learning Photoshop or similar is also helpful to spruce up your pages. And you hit the nail, it makes sense if you have a small portfolio. But for 1000's of names it is a different story.
 
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Learning Photoshop or similar is also helpful to spruce up your pages.

You're absolutely right!

I'm a pretty bad website programmer, but fortunately a decent (or even good) digital graphic designer.
 
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I checked off all I've ever really needed to know.
JavaScript, PHP, SQL, HTML / CSS
 
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It depends on what you want to do. Domaining has nothing to do with programming.
If you want to buy and sell domains, you do not need programming. If you want to setup a wordpress blog on your domain, you do not need programming.

A programmer must be fully capable to do an entirely web application from scratch, this is not something that is learned in 2-3 weeks of spare time.
 
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Well one still needs to maintain their drop-catch scripts. I remember one guy voraciously catching any and every 2-digit expiring .io domains 10 years ago even before .io was a thing. Needless to say who that is and what he is today.
 
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The most important language missing in the list is Excel (office) VBA.
 
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The most important language missing in the list is Excel (office) VBA.
Ha not according to Stack Overflow :)

VBA is the “most dreaded programming language” according to Stack Overflow in 2020.

But and this is a big but, according to this article VBA in 2020 – Where does it fit? it is still very popular under certain circumstances.
Conclusion

With tools that are available within Excel, such as Power Query as well as the tools that exist within the Power Platform, the number of use cases for VBA is declining.

Business users will still seek VBA based solutions, but this is primarily due to:
  • Lack of permission provided by IT departments.
  • Low awareness of alternative solutions to VBA.
  • Lack of training on non-VBA based solutions in the Power Platform.
And that's EXACTLY why it's very important to understand WHY you NEED to use any tool before you get too far into learning it AND what other tools are also available to determine if it's worth the effort.

So, if all you need is to automate data in a spreadsheet, than VBA and Excel may work fine. At one time way back in the late 1990's I used it a lot and I liked it. But then I discovered other tools that worked better for me, and I never again thought about using VBA.
 
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Well one still needs to maintain their drop-catch scripts. I remember one guy voraciously catching any and every 2-digit expiring .io domains 10 years ago even before .io was a thing. Needless to say who that is and what he is today.
Interesting

Then, what would be the best programming languages needed for a dropcaching script?
 
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Interesting

Then, what would be the best programming languages needed for a dropcaching script?
The "best" depends on your preference as I said in my first comment.

Many people use Python for this type of task, other people PHP which is what I used for many many years, but now I like Node.js.

Here's a quick post that you might find helpful that uses Node.js

Domain Backordering using Node.js & Firebase Functions

I hope this helps.
 
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Interesting

Then, what would be the best programming languages needed for a dropcaching script?

Before I even begin to address that question, there are a few topics that need to be touched upon to evaluate the available options.

If it is just about accessing the web-apis of a single registrar to automate the registration process, then most scripting languages are up to the task. But if you want to maximize your chances of sniping a popular name then you need to consider factors that help launch concurrent registration requests via multiple registrars. This is where parallel execution capabilities (such as multi-threaded execution) of the scripting language are important. There are automated testing tools that can simulate virtual users which come with their own scripting capabilities. Another way to achieve parallelism is through virtual containers, each with independent IP addresses. This would require knowledge of the scripting language supported by the underlying cloud provider for spinning up containers on-demand.

Typically, there are checks and balances (api keys, rate limiting, throttling) enforced by the registrars to avoid stressing their systems with such automated bulk requests while trying to catch multiple domains originating from a single user. So one may need to orchestrate this with a team of other users in an automated way. This is where the orchestration capabilities of distributing and monitoring the requests across multiple users and across registrars come into play.

Thus you may end up learning multiple scripting languages, each catering to a specific task (whether spinning up containers or simulating virtual users).

Of course, a serious drop-catcher would think beyond all that. They may explore having symbiotic partnerships directly with the registry and gain access to native APIs which are more efficient than the ones that are available publicly over HTTP via the registrars; even if it requires them to become a registrar themselves.

TLDR; if you have a less popular domain name to catch then any scripting language might get the job done, unless you have to compete with your peers. And once you start factoring in the competition, you can only hope to increase your chances by being able to initiate more requests than your next competitor or have a direct access to the registry.
 
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I checked off all I've ever really needed to know.
JavaScript, PHP, SQL, HTML / CSS

This is a fair load of skillset to learn. It is a wonderful world to traverse. But you need to have the determination and stay power to learn sufficiently to make it useful. It takes a certain character or personality to have the long term interest and dedication.
 
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...that can cost someone a lot of lost time and frustration.

As someone who currently has 1000+ domains, this is totally relevant. For example, using PHP for certain things on my sites is simply more efficient, particularly when mass updates or edits are concerned.

I started off not knowing a lot about HTML, CSS, JS, Python, etc., but ultimately I had to learn, because editing sites individually became too time-consuming. Ultimately, we just have to find our own way to do the things we need done. Sometimes it involves figuring it out yourself, or hiring someone competent to program whatever it is you're unable to successfully complete on your own (been there, done that...and it got me to where I needed to be).

I'm not advocating one language or framework over another, but if one can utilize these tools in a way that saves time and does what one wants them to do, that's all that really matters. FWIW, spreadsheet usage has been invaluable (again, due to the sheer number of domains in my portfolio).

Not every domainer/domain investor needs to go this route. For many, just using whatever management tools that a registrar and/or marketplace offers will be enough for their needs.

For those of us who want to perform actions or add functionality not offered at a registrar or marketplace (or WordPress, WIX, Weebly, etc.), then yeah, learning how to program is a must for customization.

I'm pretty sure my workflow is waaaaay different than everyone else's--and that's okay.

Here are other things I sometimes use when working on/editing my domains:
And when I say "working on/editing my domains," in my world that mostly means designing my own landing pages. I'm not as interested in data scraping, API programming or dropcatch-related scripting at this stage, but maybe I'll dabble with those in the future.

Granted, this doesn't provide a direct answer to the OP's question, but the main takeaway is what's in bold.

Good luck with your programming/coding journey!
 
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HTML is the base, you will need it most of the times according to the context, but it is only good for static things..... for dynamic things, you have to learn either PHP, Python or Java or may be some others....

The thing is you need to have a good concept/idea that can be converted into business with the help of these programming languages...

If you do not have much time and you want to concentrate on just one, please learn Python, it is easy, versatile and flexible.

Python works on both Windows and Linux so if you do not have Linux access, you can easily do it with your Windows computer.
 
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What about coding for domain resellers? Which one is better?
 
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for 25 years server backend CIS waste of time - changes\dynamic
ONLINE =cloud= FRONT END DOES NOT CHANGE/static: html and javascript (also server side could be)


internet is all lynx akin https://sedo.com/member/my-domains/import
 
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What about coding for domain resellers? Which one is better?

It depends what you want to do. If you want to make a nice lander you learn front end - HTML, CSS, JS.

If you need to make API calls to services, that can literally be done with any language, JS(nodeJS or just JS), C#, PHP, python etc, as they use the same protocol to make the actual calls. All of the above can also be used as backends for a potential website to combine with the front-end.

Realistically though, just use existing services and learn what your current hosting can provide and work with.
 
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Are you sure Javascript is mandatory? because you later say you prefer PHP

Php without java is like .com without domain king
 
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Love seeing all this feedback on what is "useful", interesting views. I see HTML / CSS takes the cake, in the majority case
 
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if you wish to learn programming generally, you should. For domaining, no programming language is needed. As long as you know Excel, you are good.
 
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OK, this is what I believe will be most helpful to domainers:

WordPress. Not just the installing and customizing ready built themes. Learn the framework.

PHP/MySQL/CSS/HTML/JQuery/Bootstrap because they are all part of or integrated into the WP framework.

JQuery and Bootstrap are reusable libraries of code to give you a jump start.

Anything beyond that depends on if you have a specialized project with specific requirements.

If you don't want to learn those yourselves, hire someone who is versed in the above framework, libraries, and languages.

If you don't want to hire someone, you can find apps (software as a service, SaaS) that can do the job you need.
 
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It seems "HTML/CSS" winning the poll. Interesting...

Please give me only one example that a domainer can do something with a list of keywords/domains by only using HTML/CSS. Or solve any domaining problem with HTML/CSS.
No JS, no PHP, no any other language.
Only pure HTML & CSS!

People do not even read what OP requests.

Such brilliant minds...
 
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