I have been using no-ip for around two years to remotely access my hosted service, I mostly use their free service except for a few 5 months offers I bought.

Recently, I received a full year offer in email for 8$ (COUPON CODE: MAY8), and I was wondering whether to get that or buy a 2 years domain for the same price (FROM hostinger or namecheap).

I have never bought a doamain before and my knowledge is limited to what I mostly read here. So, per your opinion, what would be better in term of usability and security, a DDNS on the router and a port open per hosted-service? or a domain with reverse proxy?

  • SolidGrue@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    You can do both.

    I own some domains. I also have an ISP uplink with a dynamic IP.

    I host the DNS for one of my domains (it’s basically parked) at my registrar and use their API to update an A record in my domain with my current IP addess so I can connect Wireguard, OpenVPN and/or SSH/mosh at will.

    You don’t need DDNS specifically, just a router that makes the API call, or a little curl + cron savvy on an internal server

    To answer your question; You’re not going to delegate your NS records to your dynamic IP because that would be a disaster. Rather, you use the DNS device at your registrar and configure a DDNS client on your router to update the server at the registrar.

    OR… use dhcp-exit-hooks on your router to update DDNS at the registrar on BIND and REBIND events.

    ORRRR… use crontab and curl to do a periodic query/update via the registrar’s API for your current IP address. (Your registrar will have sample scripts to use.)

    This is one of those fun “roll your own” solution spaces they leave as an exercise for the reader.

    As far as usability and security? I like using that hostname my dynamic IP gets for call-home services. Its obscure, which helps, and also I don’t like to rely on 3rd party when I don’t have to. I’m incurring my own risk doing so, but neither am I exposing anything to evil Sysadmins